Jasper's and Bella's Destiny
by believer76
Summary: Jasper Whitlock has broken away from the Cullens after he catches Alice and Edward together in an affair that has been going on for decades. This is an alternate reality where Bella never met the Cullens and her father has been dead for years. Jasper rescues Bella from a rapist in an alley near where she is going to college...


**Jasper and Bella's Destiny**

Major Jasper Whitlock sighed and ran a hand through his shoulder length, curly blond hair in a very humanlike gesture. He had left the Cullens when he had discovered that they had been deceiving him for decades. It hadn't been Carlisle or Esme or even Emmett and Rosalie so much that had been deceiving him, but Edward and Alice. Edward and Alice had been the real culprits and when he had confronted them they had of course tried to deny it, but that was hard to do when he had caught them in bed with each other.

No one else in the family had known or even suspected about the fact that Alice and Edward had been sleeping with each other off and on for decades, whenever the rest of the family was off doing their own things.

How they had gotten away with it for so long was no mystery since Alice had the talent of seeing the future and they probably would've continued to get away with it if Jasper hadn't come home suddenly without even thinking about it because Alice could only see the future if somebody made a decision.

Thanks to him walking in on them they couldn't deny it and Alice hadn't a chance to see that he was coming home since he hadn't really made the decision until he was already there.

Fortunately or unfortunately that had been the end of Jasper's relationship with Alice and Edward and the other Cullens as well.

Well Alice and Edward anyway although Emmett and Rosalie had begged him to reconsider leaving and had only subsided when he had promised to keep in contact with them. He had also assured them that he didn't blame them for what had happened with Alice and Edward and that he still considered them his family. Esme had been upset as he prepared to leave but even though she had tried to change his mind she hadn't been able to. Carlisle to had tried but had not succeeded.

Finally seeing that Jasper would not change his mind begged for him not to cut himself off from the family completely to at least call once in a while to let them know how he was doing even if he didn't want to come home because of what Alice and Edward had done. He could understand why Jasper hadn't wanted to stay but had been quick to show that the rest of them also felt betrayed.

He had been so upset that he had killed and drank the blood of a mugger before he had realized what he was doing and he had enjoyed it so much that he had decided that he was going back to human blood but that he would only go after criminals. Carlisle would not be pleased if he found out, but at this point he really didn't care if he was pleased or not.

Of course he knew that they weren't to blame as none of them had seen the signs that more than likely been there. On the other hand Alice did have the gift of seeing the future, but only if somebody made a definite decision and Edward did have the ability to read anybody's thoughts so it been almost impossible to catch them except by chance although the two should've known that eventually they would be caught even if it was a hundred years down the road.

Alice of course had begged and pleaded at him to forgive her and not to leave, but it wasn't like her and Edward had only done it once as it had been going on for decades practically since they had come to live with the Cullens and that was something that he was not willing to forgive.

Alice had been brokenhearted and she wouldn't admit even to herself that she had known that this would happen, eventually if she and Edward kept up their relationship. And while Alice had been broken hearted Edward had been nothing but sullen as if he saw nothing wrong with what they had been doing even though Alice was married to another man.

Suddenly Jasper was jerked out of his thoughts as he heard a woman's scream and the sounds of a scuffle. "Let me go you fucker," said a female voice in a panic and the sound of a hand hitting flesh made Jasper speed towards the alley at vampire speed.

"Girl if you do is you're told you might just survive to fight another day," a man's voice told her gruffly.

"You mean if I let you have your way with me," the woman's voice said, scornfully. "I would rather fight and die and then let you just rape me."

"Oh, you'll die alright once I've had my way with you that is and once I've made you beg for mercy."

Jasper slowed down as he got to the alley and stood in the shadows for a moment and observed what was going on before taking action.

He felt a connection to the girl—no woman he corrected himself as she looked at least 22 or 23—for some strange reason, something that he couldn't explain. The woman looked up as if sensing he was there which should have been impossible as there was no way her human eyes should have been able to see him standing in the dark of the alley or have heard him approach as vampires made no noise a human could possible detect if they so chose. Vampires also had much better eyesight as well and could see perfectly with just a the tiniest amount of light while humans needed much more in order to see properly. Yet even though the woman could not have possibly seen or heard him their eyes seemed to connect even though it should have been impossible. The second their eyes supposedly met the connection he had felt the minute he had heard her scream intensified a thousand times all in the space of two of the woman's heartbeats. In the microsecond that the woman's heart beat for the second time Jasper was upon the man and had him drained in less than a minute as this was no time for a leisurely meal. As Jasper drained the man he kept his ear cocked for the sound of the woman who he was surprised to discover was not making a sound and just standing there in stunned silence or at least he assumed she was stunned for if she wasn't she would have assuredly been running for her life screaming for help.

As Jasper was draining the man the demon in him was exalted at his death and was also screaming mine, mine, mine, inside his head very loudly and savagely.

Who was his? The man part of Jasper asked his demon. The man he was draining? Surely not for the man was almost dead and was nothing more then a meal.

No the woman you idiot, the Major told him and Jasper immediately noticing how protective the vampire part of him was feeling towards her.

The woman? What do you mean? asked Jasper.

Can't you guess? Or are you really that stupid? the Major taunted.

Just tell me, Jasper demanded impatiently.

Instead of answering the question the demon asked one, Would you have really run to her rescue if you had not felt something pulling you to the alley the second you heard her scream?

Jasper considered that then admitted that no he probably would not have as he would not have wanted to get involved and risk revealing what he was. If there was one iron tight law among vampire kind it was never reveal what you are to a human and then let them live. If he did whether accidentally or intentionally reveal that vampire's were real he was required to either kill them or turn them into one of his kind. Those were the only two choices for to let any human live with the knowledge of what he was was to dangerous and also meant death for him and whoever had discovered that vampires were indeed real and not just myths.

Finally what the demon had been saying and had figured out before he did snapped into his brain with instant clarity and his conclusion left him more then a little stunned. You mean the woman is my mate? The person I am supposed to spend the rest of my existence with?

Glad to see you finally figured it out. Maybe you aren't as dumb as I thought, the Major taunted.

Finally Jasper dropped the man as soon as his heart stopped beating and immediately went over to the woman who was leaning against the opposite alley wall not having moved as inch, her eyes wide and yet not seeming to be afraid although she should have been as she had just seen him drain that man and she should have assumed that she was going to be next.

"Miss? Are you okay?" Jasper asked as gently as he could as his inner demon wanted him to immediately bite her, not to drain her but to turn her into one of his kind.

Jasper didn't want to bite her or at least he didn't without her consent and also not until they got to know each other better and at the moment they didn't know a thing about each other not even their names.

"I'm fine," said the woman who didn't look it all frightened of him even though he had just killed her attacker right in front of her eyes.

"Let's get out of here, we need to talk," Jasper said.

"I guess we do," said the woman. "May I know your name, sir?"

"I'm Jasper Whitlock."

"Bella Swan," the woman answered smiling shyly not at all frightened of him, which astonished Jasper as she should be so scared that her heart was pounding in fear and she should be unable to form a coherent sentence. Some humans had even been known to faint from being so afraid.

"Bella, what a beautiful name, for a beautiful lady," Jasper breathed almost like a prayer so quietly that the woman could not have possibly have heard him. "Come this way, I have a place that we can talk," Jasper said taking her arm gallantly like the southern gentleman he had been raised to be and leading her out of the alley towards his hotel.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

Once they had reached Jasper's hotel room and Bella's injuries had been taken care of they just gazed at each other for a minute Jasper from behind his sunglasses as he had yet to take them off and didn't intend to just yet.

Bella looked around the suite and noticed that it was very nice as the hotel was five stars, which she knew meant that Jasper must have money as a five star hotel was not cheap, especially since Jasper had apparently rented the penthouse and Bella knew that could be hundreds of dollars a night if not thousands. Of course it was also very private as well as luxurious.

"Aren't you going to remove your sunglasses?" asked Bella curiously.

"Not quite yet," Jasper replied as calmly as he could trying not to fidget nervously like a teenager caught drinking and driving. "There are some things you need to know and understand before I do that."

"Like what?" asked Bella curiously tilting her head looking at Jasper's sunglass clad eyes.

Jasper checked her emotions but all he found was that she was extremely curious about him and that she was not the least bit frightened of him even though she should have been.

"Well, from what you saw in the alley you must have realized that I am not human," said Jasper.

"Yes, I did realize that," said Bella slowly wondering exactly where this was going. "I know exactly what you are and you don't frighten me a bit."

"Why don't I frighten you, if you know what I am?" asked Jasper genuinely curious for the answer.

"Because you saved me," said Bella as if the answer was obvious, "And to me anyway that means that your kind cannot all be evil like some of the myths suggest."

"And what do you believe I am?" asked Jasper with a raised eyebrow curious as to whether or not she really knew what he was or if she was just bluffing. He checked her emotions again as he had every couple of minutes since this conversation began and discovered that she was almost certain that she knew exactly what he was, although there was a little doubt as well, although not much.

"Vampire," Bella said, decisively, looking at Jasper's sunglass clad eyes again silently daring him to tell her that she was wrong with her conclusion.

"And that doesn't frighten you?" asked Jasper not really answering her question, neither confirming nor denying it.

"No, because as I said before if you had not drained that man he would've raped me and probably killed me afterwards. And besides you have not attacked me or made any threatening moves towards me and you could have drained me just like you did my attacker if you had been so inclined, yet you have not. In fact you brought me to your hotel room and I do not believe you would have done that if you intended to kill me. Besides I have felt a slight pull towards you the minute I looked into your sunglass clad eyes, although what it means or even if it's just my imagination I haven't a clue. Also my instincts are telling me that you would never hurt me intentionally."

"In that you would be right," Jasper admitted, beginning to relax a little, but only a little as there were still several hills to cross.

"So, if I may be so bold as to ask why did you save me?" asked Bella. "I would think that revealing that you are a bloodsucking vampire to a human like me would be against your laws, if you have such things."

"Yes, you are right, it is against our laws," admitted Jasper. "On the other hand it is also within the law to save a human so long as they are..." Jasper hesitated finishing the sentence not sure how Bella would react when he finished it.

"So long as they are changed afterwards," Bella finished for him somehow sure she was right. It was after all what she would've done if she was in charge of making the laws if she wanted to keep the vampire race a secret.

"Well, yes, or killed," Jasper added.

"That goes without saying," Bella agreed calmly. "That still doesn't answer my question though as to why you didn't drain me as well and instead saved my life."

"I've always had a thing for damsels in distress," Jasper said avoiding the question.

"Please stop avoiding the question," Bella said trying not to display her anxious state. For just a moment Jasper looked as if he was a deer caught in the headlights of a car but then he sighed and sat down on the bed beside her turning her to face him, his face serious. "One thing I'm sure you didn't know about vampires from what you have read is that they know when they have discovered their mate, the person they are supposed to spend the rest of their existence with. When I heard you scream and and discovered that man attacking you in the alley I was furious, although there was no reason for me to be so. The minute I looked into your eyes from where I was standing in the shadows was the minute that I felt the pull that signifies that one of our kind has found their true soulmate. And no it doesn't matter that you are human," Jasper added seeing that Bella was about to ask a question and assuming that would be it. "It doesn't happen very often, but occasionally a vampire will discover a human that is their mate, although usually it is another vampire."

Bella closed her mouth with a snap and it pleased Jasper that he had been right and that was going to be her next question.

"What does being the mate of a vampire mean for me exactly?" asked Bella trying not to display how nervous she was feeling, although she was sure that Jasper could hear her heart beating triple time as vampires were supposed to have very advanced hearing and be able to hear things from much further away then a human possibly could and considering they were sitting right next to each other at the moment Bella was sure that Jasper would hear her frantic heartbeat.

"Well, for one thing it means that I will do everything in my power to protect you for if anything happens to you..." Jasper paused as a spasm of pain hit him at the thought of anything happening to his mate now that he had discovered her.

"If anything happens to me?" Bella repeated almost word for word wondering exactly what Jasper had meant. "Would you please explain?"

"Now that I have found you if anything should happen to you...if you should die for example then I would die too. Vampires can be killed although it is very difficult. No vampire can live without their mate once that mate has been found. If you were to die it would be like ripping out half my soul or at least that is what I've heard from other mated vampires."

"And if I decided that I didn't want anything to do with you or vampires?" asked Bella.

"Then I would either be forced to change you against your will and possibly have you resent me for the rest of our existences or I would be forced to kill you and I don't much care for either of those options."

"So, you chose a third option and that was to tell me what you were and what being mates means hoping that I would go along with it so you wouldn't be forced to take either options one or two?" questioned Bella.

"That's it exactly," said Jasper realizing that his Bella was very intelligent to have figured that out so fast.

"Well, I'm assuming, since you didn't bite me to turn me into a vampire right away that you wanted to get to know me first?" said Bella.

"Yes, and vice versa of course," Jasper replied. "I would have changed you immediately if you had been gravely injured of course, but since you weren't we can take the time to get to know each other."

"How much time?" asked Bella looking intent, "As I'm sure there are laws about humans knowing vampires are real governing your kind as I mentioned before."

"In that you would be right," Jasper admitted. "There are laws about humans knowing about us just like you thought, but we also have a little leeway, which is also built into the law about mates."

"How much time?" asked Bella.

"At least a month," said Jasper after thinking about it for a few seconds. "That gives you time to get your affairs in order and for us to think of a way for you to have some kind of fatal accident as you will never be able see any of your friends or family again once you are changed into a vampire."

"You are very lucky in that respect," Bella told him. "I don't really have any family except my mother and I swore once I went off to college never to have anything else to do with her. I do have a few casual friends and one very close friend whom I will be sad to never see again but other than that I don't have anybody that I will miss."

"You sure are taking this very calmly," said Jasper wondering why Bella wasn't panicking and screaming and trying to get away from him as most normal humans would be doing.

"I've always been unusual like that and once I tell you about my life growing up once we get to know each other a little better maybe you will understand why I'm not running away from you or screaming for help as I'm sure you expected," said Bella dryly with just a hint of humor in her eyes.

"That is exactly what I expected, as your blood after all is our natural food source," Jasper said relaxing almost completely a smile lighting up his entire face making whoever saw immediately want to smile back.

"But if you had wanted my blood you would have already killed me and been done with it," Bella pointed out reasonably smiling back at this man she barely knew and yet felt as if she had known forever. "So where do we go from here?" Bella asked.

"Well, we can go on a few dates," Jasper suggested, "although I will not eat any human food. I will be happy to take you out to eat even if I don't eat myself."

"I'm sure we can come up with some activities that don't involve eating," said Bella with a smile giving Jasper a kiss on the cheek shyly.

"Probably," Jasper said agreeably giving Bella's hand a gentle squeeze. "For now though why don't I order room service for you as I'm sure you are hungry and you can tell me a little bit about yourself and I'll do the same."

"What would you like to know?" asked Bella.

"Everything, but just the basics for now," said Jasper. "We can get into details later."

"Sounds good," said Bella.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

Once room service had come and gone half an hour later Bella and Jasper sat at a little table on opposite sides and while Bella ate Jasper watched her. As Bella ate her food they made light conversation about generalities until Bella indicated she was done by sitting back patting her stomach.

"That was delicious, Jasper," Bella told the man across the table sincerely. "That was the best meal I've had in months."

"I'm glad you enjoyed it," Jasper replied giving Bella's hand a gentle squeeze careful not to squeeze to hard and hurt her unintentionally with his vampire strength. Luckily he'd had a lot of practice being around humans living with the Cullens.

"Not being able to eat human food must be torture for your kind," Bella said insightfully. "I would think not being able to taste all the foods that this world has to offer would be a terrible price to pay for immortality."

"In a way you're right," Jasper agreed. "But what you don't probably realize is that most vampires don't remember much about that human lives. They don't remember their families, whether they had parents that loved them, whether they had brothers or sisters, or whether they were rich, poor or in between, much less what human food tasted like. On the other hand most vampires were changed rather violently and didn't have any choice and what they became you on the other hand do have a choice."

"What do you mean?" asked Bella, curiously.

"I mean that I am willing to leave you human if that is what you want and hopefully the Volturi will never discover what I have done or we'd both be dead."

"You're willing to leave me human with knowledge of your world?"asked Bella in astonishment. "Why?"

"Because in the couple of hours we've known each other I've grown to love you unreservedly. Partly that's the mating bond at work, but I've also grown to love you for yourself. I will not have you resent me for centuries because I changed you against your will, no matter what the laws are and I really don't like to change perfectly healthy people unless they are gravely injured or at least, not anymore."

Bella wondered what Jasper meant when he said 'at least not anymore', but she contained her curiosity for the moment as she was sure Jasper would tell her when they had gotten to know each other better.

"What will happen to you, if I remain human once I die of old age?" asked Bella, suspecting she already knew the answer just from what Jasper had said earlier, but wanting it confirmed.

"I will soon join you in death," said Jasper gravely looking sad, "as it is almost impossible to live once your mate dies—you don't really want to live after the death of your mate if truth be told."

The thought of Jasper putting an end to his own existence just because he could not live without her made Bella want to sob out loud, but as she didn't want to distress him she managed to clamp down on her emotions and keep them to herself.

"Let's change the subject," Bella suggested lightly wanting to put such a sad subject behind them at least for the time being.

Jasper gladly did as she suggested and they started talking about their lives. Jasper had a lot of funny stories about things and after he happened to him that at the time had not been funny at all but were hilarious years or centuries later.

Bella laughed delightedly at Jasper's stories and when it was her time to tell about her life she told him bits and pieces but left out most of the details until they got to know each other a little more.

What she did reveal was sad enough although there were also some funny little anecdotes mixed in with the sad stuff that made Jasper chuckle.

"You've talked about your life with your mother, but what about your father?" asked Jasper.

"My father and mother divorced when I was just a toddler and my father lived in one of the rainiest places in the world and that was Forks Washington. My father, Charlie Swan, was the chief of police of that little town and I always went out to visit him doing holidays and stuff until he died when I was fifteen—heart attack. What I remember most about him was that he spent every free minute fishing—as it was his one, true passion—with his two best friends Billy Black and Harry Clearwater from the La Push reservation which is right next door. Billy's son Jake was one of my best friends growing up even though he was a year younger. Billy also has twin daughters Rachel and Rebecca who are older then Jake. They left La Push and as far as I know never returned. Jake and I just hit it off from the first and we would do everything together when I was down to visit my father. I still think about Jake often although I haven't seen him since I went to my father's funeral almost eight years ago now."

Jasper listened as Bella recounted some of her favorite memories of Jake and he chuckled in all the right places which seemed to please her.

"You two sure did get in a lot of trouble together," Jasper commented still chuckling.

Bella laughed in agreement and said, "Yeah we did, although it was mostly Jake that convinced me to do things even when I knew it was a bad idea. And before you ask, because I know you will eventually, Jake and I would were never anything more than friends. He was like the mischievous little brother I never had."

Jasper checked her emotions even though he had known she was speaking the truth just from her tone of voice and body language. Reading her emotions helped him confirm the fact that Bella had never thought of Jacob as anything more than a little brother, which was good as it meant he didn't have any competition, not that he couldn't rip this Jake into pieces or drain him dry if he so chose, but it was just easier that way and also wouldn't hurt Bella like it would if he did kill her long time friend.

Jasper checked the clock and noticed that it was getting quite late and that he either needed to get Bella home or perhaps she would consent to stay here for the night.

"Would you like to spend the night here with me?" asked Jasper trying not to appear anxious as to what her answer would be. If Bella told him she wanted to go home he would take her and then spend all night outside her apartment building, as close as he could possibly get and still not be seen, watching over her as not being close to her when the bond was this new would be extremely painful. Besides the vampire species as a whole were extremely protective of their mates and that was triply true when the bond was as new as this one. A mating bond always took awhile to settle down and during the first few years a mated couple tended to spend all their time together as they didn't like the feeling of being separated for even a few minutes. After a couple of decades though they would be able to do things separately if they so chose although they still spent a great deal of their time together.

"I would like to stay with you," Bella admitted shyly feeling closer to Jasper then she had to any of the men she had dated over the last few years. "If I do though, I need to call my roommate and let her know I'm not going to be home so she won't worry about me."

"You have a roommate?" asked Jasper seeming interested.

"Yes, Melissa and I rent this apartment near where we're going to school together. Neither one of us wanted to live in one of those little dorm rooms and when my father died he left me his life savings. It was more then enough to rent an apartment by myself for all the years I would be in college, but Melissa and I hit it off immediately when we came into the registration office almost at the same time. I had already decided to live off campus so that I would have my own little place where I could study in peace without interruptions and when I suggested that we find a place to share she immediately agreed. It turned out that she hadn't been looking forward to living in a dorm room either and we liked each other well enough that sharing wouldn't be a hardship at all. Over the last five years or so our friendship has only grown from that first meeting and she will be the person I will miss the most. We've managed to have a lot of fun together in between going to classes and studying. We are as close as sisters even though we are not related."

"Go ahead and call your friend and let her know that you are alright and that you will be spending the night with me," Jasper urged.

"Okay," Bella agreed, going to where her purse was laying on the dresser to get her cell phone which luckily had not been damaged when her attacker had cornered her in that alley.

"Won't your friend be surprised that you are spending the night with a strange man, one whom you just met?" Jasper asked suddenly, curiously.

"A little, probably," Bella admitted, "but not as much as you might think. Both Melissa and I have dated some over the years, her more than me, as I wanted to concentrate on my studies, but this isn't the first time I will have slept with a strange man although it hasn't ever happened just hours after meeting him."

Japer growled lowly unable to prevent the sound from escaping his lips as he thought about the other guys his Bella had slept with even though it had been before she had ever met him. It shouldn't have surprised him at all that Bella had slept with other guys as his mate was very beautiful and most guys were attracted to that. Bella had a heart shaped face with big brown eyes to go along with her very curly brown hair that went just past her shoulders. Also her body was very curvy and she had very nice breasts that were neither too big as to appear overblown or so small that they didn't appear to fit her small, petite figure. She wasn't too tall either as some women were being just 5'6'.

Bella heard the low growl and somehow she instinctively understood what it meant, which made her rush to reassure him coming over to his side of the table and sitting on his lap. "You don't have to worry about any of those past boyfriends. None of those past relationships lasted very long as I was more concerned about studying and passing my classes. Also a lot of those boys wanted to have sex on the first date and I've never been one to be causal about that kind of thing. I definitely never slept with any of those college boys before at least the fourth or fifth date if the relationship lasted that long. A lot of boys I dated didn't seem to understand where I was coming from telling me I was being ridiculous and more than once that ended any further relationship. You on the other hand are different. For one thing I feel much closer to you after only knowing you for a couple of hours then I have to any of those college boys I dated after weeks."

The demon within him calmed down immediately at the loving, tender touch of his mate and Jasper wrapped his arms around her holding her close never wanting to let Bella go afraid she was going to disappear like and illusion or mirage if he did. They sat like that for a little while, but as it was getting later Bella knew she needed to call her friend so that she would worry and so she very reluctantly began to get off Jasper lap. Jasper let go of her just as reluctantly, feeling the loss of contact immediately, but watched as his mate walked over to where her cell phone had been dropped on the bed a few minutes ago. Bella pushed a few buttons and then put the phone to her ear as Jasper heard it ring.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

"I'll bring him by tomorrow and introduce you to him," Bella promised her friend ending the conversation a few minutes later.

Jasper heard Melissa answer on the other end of the line and it made him smile at her saucy reply, "You had better," which made him chuckle.

"I will," Bella said, before saying goodbye and ending the conversation by closing the phone. "Melissa, is anxious to meet you and thank you for saving my life," Bella told Jasper.

"So I heard," Jasper said with a chuckle. "Your friend sounds very...exuberant."

"Oh, she is," Bella agreed with a grin as he thought about her friend. "It's one of the reasons we get along so well as I can be exuberant too, especially when I'm excited about something." Bella put her phone down on the nightstand and came and sat back on Jasper's lap which he didn't mind it all and in fact welcomed his mate's warm, soft body next to his own cold, stone one.

"Now if you don't mind I believe we have other important issues to discuss," said Bella smiling coyly which made the general become hard instantly inside Jasper's pants.

"What issues do we have to discuss?" asked Jasper trying to contain a groan, aching for release as his erection was becoming very painful. He knew that the only way to get that release was to be buried in his mate's body but he wasn't sure that he could control himself enough not to hurt her since she was human and therefore very fragile compared to him.

"Well, although I have never consented to having sex on the first date I feel way closer to you then I have to any of my previous boyfriends. In fact I feel like I've known you all my life and not just for a few hours so..." The anxiety in Bella's emotions let Jasper know that his mate wasn't nearly as calm as she pretended to be or that her tone of voice indicated.

"Bella, are you asking me whether or not I want to make love to you?" asked Jasper, his astonishment plain.

"Although I'm usually not so bold, especially when I haven't known you very long, yes, I am," said Bella trying to appear confident and not nervous at all.

"I would love to make love to you, to show you how I really feel, but I'm not sure if I can control myself enough not to hurt you if we did that. Vampires are at least 20 times stronger then a normal human and making love is instinctual for our race. If I did not watch what I was doing every second, if I got lost in the heat of the moment, I could seriously hurt you, without meaning to," Jasper replied. "It would be much safer if we waited until after you were like me."

"Jasper, I trust you, I know you will not hurt me," Bella told him gently giving him a heartstopping kiss on the lips feeling very bold, which was very unlike her around men she didn't know well anyway.

Jasper groaned and he could feel his resistance crumbling, not that he had had very much to begin with as his Bella was almost irresistible and he had been alone for so long, which did not help. He had been holding himself back from taking her and making her his by sheer force of will for the last few hours, but now all he wanted was to be inside her warm, tight body, making her his for all time. He wouldn't bite her as vampires did in order to claim a mate while she was human, but to make love to her was becoming quite urgent. He fought with himself, but finally gave it up as a lost cause and gave in.

"If we do this, you must understand that it is very dangerous as I've never made love to a human before. You must immediately tell me if I hurt you and I will force myself to stop."

"Alright," Bella agreed not looking at all scared and Jasper realized that she had more faith in his being able to control himself so as not to hurt her then he did.

Jasper picked her up and then sped into the bedroom and once there he ordered her somewhat harshly his desire getting the better of him. "Take off your clothes, I don't want to rip them to shreds since you don't have any spares."

Bella did as she was told and it wasn't long before she was standing totally naked in front of the man—or vampire rather—that she felt as if she had known forever and not just a few short hours.

Jasper took off his sunglasses so that Bella could see the desire in his ruby red gaze and to his relief she didn't flinch at the sight of his red eyes, but looked directly into them with love and desire.

"Do what you want to me," Bella told him huskily. "As far as I'm concerned I'm yours for however long you want me. I've never felt like this for any other man as I said earlier. My feelings for you are like an ocean never-ending."

"I want you to be mine forever, Bella," Jasper told her harshly as he got out of his own clothes at vampire speed. "I want to spend the rest of my existence with you. To spend every day just doing normal things will be a pleasure so long as you are by my side as my wife and mate."

Bella looked at Jasper's naked body and couldn't prevent a whimper of desire from escaping her lips. Just looking at him made her so wet that the liquid from her pussy was leaking out onto the bed soaking the sheets and Jasper hadn't even done anything to her yet. If she felt like this before Jasper even touched her then she was in trouble if he ever decided that he didn't want her for she didn't think she could live without him.

"So you desire me, this is good, as I desire you as well and will for the rest of my time on this Earth," Jasper told her as he lay down on top of her making sure to support his weight with one arm so that he didn't hurt her with his much heavier, stonelike body.

Bella reached up and twined one of her hands into his long wavy blonde hair and pulled his head down so she could kiss his lips.

Jasper used every bit of restraint she could muster to make Bella's first time with him as pleasurable as possible. After he and Bella broke the kiss Jasper immediately started licking her left nipple into a little peak kissing it and fondling it with one hand. Bella moaned biting her bottom lip as desire coursed through her so strongly that it took her by surprise.

"Some of the things I want to do to you are going to have to wait until you are like me and therefore unbreakable for if I tried them on you now I would literally break you apart," Jasper told her as he licked and fondled her other breast gently so as not to leave bruises, before moving down to her stomach. He licked the inside of her belly button causing Bella to give a long continuous moan her body arching until she almost came off the bed completely.

"You like that, hm?" Jasper said feeling very pleased with himself as he had barely done anything to her and yet his slightest touch made her almost immediately orgasm, which pleased him, because her body was so responsive to his touch. Jasper hoped even after Bella was turned into one of his kind that she would still be just as responsive as she was as a human, but he would just have to wait and see. He was anxious to find out if she was or not, but not anxious enough to lose his control and turn her immediately.

Bella didn't respond verbally just pulled Jasper as close as she could seeming to be silently begging for more.

"Oh, don't worry I'm only getting started," Jasper assured her giving her a smirk seeming to understand her silent plea. "There are a lot of things I can do to you that don't have to wait for you to be a vampire for you to enjoy."

Bella moaned as she imagined what Jasper was about to do to her and the pure pleasure she was about to feel. Jasper leaned down his his free hand to stroke the soft skin of her inner thigh before gently pushing her legs further apart. Bella moaned as Jasper touched her there as it sent little stabs of lightning all through her body making her even wetter down in her pussy.

"That's a good girl, you'll enjoy this I assure you," Jasper murmured just loud enough for Bella to hear him, smelling her arousal quite strongly. He leaned down and gently kissed the sensitive skin of her right inner thigh.

"Oh, God," Bella almost purred as strong sensations of pleasure coursed through her.

"Like that, do you?" Jasper asked rhetorically as he could feel her emotions and she was lost in pure pleasure.

"More," Bella begged hoarsely her voice no more then a whisper of sound and yet Jasper heard her as clearly as if she had shouted the word.

"With pleasure," said Jasper continuing his treatment of kissing her up and down her inner right thigh and when he was finished with that one he switched to the left and gave it the same treatment. Before long Bella was writhing on the bed begging for more and Jasper was more than happy to oblige. Once he had treated her feet to kisses and licks he positioned himself where he knew she needed him the most and that was to be inside her.

"I'll be as gentle as I can be," Jasper promised her.

"Just do it Jasper, I need you inside me to quench this fire in my belly," Bella begged gruffly, panting. "I know that the only way to quench this burning sensation is to have you buried as deep in my body as you can go. I'm no virgin so you don't have to worry about hurting me."

Jasper groaned with desire at his mate's words and knew that if he wasn't careful he was going to lose control completely. He struggled with himself for a moment as the Major wanted him to bite her in order to claim her completely, but Jasper knew that he couldn't do that until she was actually a vampire and so told the Major that since she had already agreed to become a vampire claiming her completely could wait until she was. It won't be long he told his demon also known as the Major. Just a few short weeks is all and once she is like me I promise I'm going to claim her just like she will claim me. His inner demon grumbled a little, but subsided.

Slowly, ever so slowly Jasper stuck one finger into her clit and felt her moisture surround his finger as if welcoming him home.

"Oh you are so wet and so tight," Jasper groaned his desire for her body rising even higher, which he hadn't believed until that moment to be possible, as he moved his finger around until he hit what was known as the G spot.

"Crap, damn, shit, fuck," Bella cursed as her body almost completely came off the bed and she knew that if Jasper hadn't been holding her down she probably would have hit the ceiling, well either that or fallen to the floor in a heap.

Jasper inserted another finger and then another using them to stretch Bella's pussy as much as possible so that he wouldn't hurt her as much when he inserted the general as his cock was known. Once he was satisfied he removed his finger and positioned the general at his mate's entrance and for the very first time pushed himself inside. He went slowly at first to give Bella time to get used to his intrusion as he knew he was a big man, but it wasn't long before she was begging for him to go faster and he was more then happy to oblige, although he was careful not to go to fast or be to rough as he didn't want to hurt her. He thrust into her once, twice, three times, but on the fourth thrust he could hold himself back no longer and buried the general as far as it would go in her body releasing his cold seed at the same time.

Bella whimpered in satisfaction as the fire in her belly went out as soon as she felt Jasper's cold seed and she had yet another orgasm so strong that she actually blacked out for a few seconds.

"Well, my mate, you belong to me now," Jasper told her quite seriously looking directly into her brown eyes, which were half slitted in sleepy pleasure trying to stop himself from smiling smugly in satisfaction. "Don't ever think of running away from me because I will track you to the ends of the Earth in order to get you back."

"I'm not going anywhere, unless you are coming to," Bella told him sincerely with a huge yawn. "I would never even have suggested that we make love, at least not this soon, unless I had been absolutely positive of my feelings for you and that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you no matter how long or short that may be."

Jasper beamed at his mate's words and the Major was more then satisfied as he felt that she meant every one. "Sleep, now," Jasper told her gently, "We'll talk more tomorrow, but right now you are exhausted and you need your rest."

"Stay with me, please?" Bella sleepily requested already curling up on her side her head resting on Jasper's chest.

"With pleasure. There's no other place I would rather be," Jasper told her softly kissing her hair before he laid his head back down and gently put one arm around her holding her tenderly. Bella just sighed at Jasper's touch and curled even closer seeming not at all bothered by his cold, stonelike skin. Jasper watched her for a moment then raised up enough to pull the sheet up snuggly to Bella's shoulders and then laid back down more than content just to lie there for the rest of the night watching the woman he loved sleep peacefully.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

The next morning Bella awoke immediately realizing she was laying against somebody's chest, which was stone cold. For some reason though the chest was one of the most comfortable places she had ever laid her head.

Had last night been a dream? Had she really been attacked on her way home by a man who wanted to rape her and possibly kill her? And had she been rescued by mysterious stranger who turned out to be a vampire?"

"Bella, I know you're awake, it's time to rise and shine, darlin'. We have a lot to talk about before I take you back to your apartment," said a voice that she recognized immediately.

It hadn't been a dream after all, Bella realized opening her eyes only to stare into the red pupils of one Jasper Whitlock, who she had just had the best sex ever in her life with just a few short hours ago.

"Alright, I'm up," Bella said with a yawn while stretching her muscles, which were pleasantly sore, although not excessively so. As Bella kissed Jasper good morning and rose from the bed so she could use the bathroom she noticed several bruises along her skin that hadn't been there before and realized that she had either gotten them from the man who tried to rape her last night or Jasper had given them to her during their lovemaking. If Jasper had given them to her she didn't really mind as she knew that he had done his best not to hurt her and that he could have done a lot more damage then a few bruises on her skin if he hadn't been so careful.

"I'm really sorry about the bruises, Bella," Jasper told her looking guilty for hurting her.

"It's alright," Bella told him given him another kiss in order to reassure him. "I've had much worse injuries in my life. A few bruises don't really mean much. When I was a kid until I was about 16, I was one of the clumsiest people you would ever meet. I had bruises all the time from bumping into things and I broke several bones just by tripping and falling. I was in the emergency room so often that I nearly had a permanent bed with my name inscribed on it."

Jasper chuckled just like Bella had been hoping he would. It's not that her story wasn't true, but she didn't really like to think about it. If it made Jasper feel a little better about the bruises though, then she would happily tell him all about her clumsiness in order to make him feel better.

"Would you like to share the shower with me or not?" asked Bella as she sauntered her hips moving back and forth seductively, completely naked, across the floor towards the bathroom. Jasper felt his lust rise to an all-time high and he leaped out of bed and used vampire speed to beat her to the bathroom.

"After you, my lady," Jasper said his southern accent thick enough to cut with the knife.

"Why thank you, kind sir," Bella said giving him another kiss before entering the bathroom, Jasper following like an obedient puppy dog.

Bella turned on the shower and she and Jasper stepped inside closing the frosted glass door behind them.

"Can I wash your back madame?" asked Jasper with a sexy wink a smirk on his lips already knowing what her answer would be.

"You may," Bella told him turning around so that Jasper could have better access to her back.

Jasper made sure that the washcloth was soaked and had plenty of soap on it before he started gently running in up-and-down Bella's back. Once he was sure her back was clean he knelt down on his knees and ran the washcloth over her perfect, little ass that made his cock stand at attention wanting to be buried inside her perfect, wet opening.

"That feels so good," Bella groaned as Jasper continued to diligently clean the rest of her body and not just her back.

"You want me don't you, my little vixen?" Jasper asked softly, his voice seductive as the general unerringly found her opening.

"Always," Bella assured him. "I cannot imagine a time when I will not want to jump you or you jump me and if that day ever comes you might as well kill me for I will already be dead on the inside. My feelings for you are just getting stronger and stronger the longer we are together. Go ahead and take me, you don't even have to ask, for as far as I'm concerned my body is yours to do with as you please. If you wanted to make out on a trapeze from fifty feet in the air I certainly wouldn't stop you just so long as I was sure I wasn't going to fall."

"Hmm, now there is an interesting idea," Jasper murmured as he stuck two fingers up into her pussy in order to prepare her for his entrance and when he discovered that she was already ready for him he thrust the general into her from where he was kneeling. It didn't take long for either of them to reach their climaxes and once Jasper has released his seed he withdrew from her with an audible groan of loss.

Bella leaned against the shower wall panting as she recovered from her climax and she watched Jasper through half opened eyes as he to panted from where he was kneeling.

"I've never had such strong orgasms in all my life," Bella said as soon as she had caught her breath.

"Neither have I, but I'm pretty sure it has to do with the fact that we were meant for each other," Jasper said get into his feet.

"Here, let me wash your hair and then you can wash mine," Bella said taking the hotel shampoo off the side of the tub.

Jasper bent down just enough so that Bella could reach his hair easily and then Bella poured a generous measure of shampoo into her hands and gently started rubbing it into his hair.

"That feels so good," Jasper sighed as he relaxed at the tender touch of his mate.

"Since you like it so much I will be happy to do this for you anytime you want me to," Bella assured him as she continued washing his soft, silky blond hair. "I get as much pleasure from running my hands through your hair as you get at my touch so I wouldn't mind at all repeating the experience as often as you like. Stick your head under the spray," Bella ordered softly as soon as she was sure that she had throughly washed every silky strand.

Jasper did as ordered and once he was sure that all the shampoo was washed out of his hair he got out from under the spray to find Bella waiting with the conditioner.

"After I do this conditioner you can do my hair," Bella said.

"It will be a pleasure," Jasper said looking forward to running his hands through Bella's silky brown hair. "And Bella you are welcome to wash my hair any time you want as I love to have you touching me. In fact you are welcome to wash the rest of me to and not just my hair as often as you want and I guarantee you I will not only not object, but enjoy the experience immensely."

Bella blushed at Jasper's words and couldn't prevent her eyes from roving up and down his body landing on his very large and engorged penis that was already standing at attention making it seem even bigger. Bella let out a whimper of desire unable to prevent herself from imagining Jasper's cock buried in her body again just like it had been last night and just a few minutes ago. Last night had been the best experience of her life with sex. That rapist had done her a favor even though he had been going to rape and kill her. Bella knew if that hadn't happened she probably never would have met the man she was supposed to spend the rest of life with, even if that life was several centuries long.

"You want me, my mate?" asked Jasper rhetorically as he knew very well that she did as her emotions had spiked and become even stronger the minute she had let her eyes rove up and down his body, which she seemed to find beyond pleasing since her lust had skyrocketed the minute they had landed on his cock which was already standing at attention and more than ready to be buried in Bella's body again and in fact that was becoming a rather urgent demand.

"Yes," Bella said her entire body turning red in embarrassment even as she met Jasper's red eyes squarely. Her words came out in a squeak, but she didn't let that stop her from letting him know that she wanted him in the worst way possible.

"Good! I will be more than happy to oblige, I assure you," Jasper said taking Bella's yes as permission to take her and fuck her for all she was worth again and again and again, which is exactly what he did.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

"Are you ready?" asked Jasper as the both of them lay in the bottom of the now drained shower. The water had been turned off more for Bella's benefit then for Jasper's since he couldn't drown as he was already technically dead.

"You don't have to ask I'm always ready for you," Bella told him quite sincerely. She was so relaxed that her muscles felt like jelly. This was at least the fifth or sixth time Jasper had made her come in the last hour or so even though she had lost count. Bella had never known that she could have so many super strong orgasms, that only got stronger the more times Jasper entered her body, in such a short space of time. How she could still be ready for more she still didn't know, not that it mattered at all as only one man was going to have access to her body from now on and his name was Jasper Whitlock. Actually she would be more than surprised if she wasn't so sore after they were done that she wouldn't be able to walk without help.

"As much as I would be absolutely delighted to fuck you for the rest of the day this will be the last time for right now," Jasper told her. "You are not going to be able to walk as it is and we do have things to do today. Once you're vampire though I guarantee you we will fuck for days on end. One of the great things about being a vampire is you never get tired or sore."

"I'm really looking forward to that part," Bella assured him as she raised her head from the bottom of the shower just enough to kiss Jasper on the lips.

Jasper groaned as she body responded to Bella's warm, wet tongue entering his mouth and battling with his own cold one. In fact he barely resisted taking her again but he also knew that they had things to do today and that they didn't have time right now for another go around as much as he wanted to. In fact once he entered her body he really didn't want to leave at all as Bella was so tight, warm, and slick that he could stay embedded in her pussy for eternity and be perfectly content.

"And that is how much I love you, Jasper Whitlock," Bella said smirking at him in satisfaction as soon as she had broken the kiss so that she could breathe.

"I love you too," Jasper assured her giving her another kiss on the lips before reluctantly standing up and exiting the shower and then turning to help pull Bella to her feet.

Bella stumbled a little and she know that if Jasper hadn't moved to catch her she would've fallen as she stepped out of the shower gingerly. She was indeed sore, but not as sore as she had expected to be considering how many orgasm she had been through in the last hour or so.

"Can you walk?" asked Jasper ever the gentleman as he watched her his red eyes darkening with lust and desire as he gazed at her beautiful, gorgeous, naked body.

"I believe so," Bella said testing her legs slowly, "but maybe you had better carry me just in case," she added coyly as she looked at him and then deliberately racked her eyes up and down his naked form.

"Nothing would give me greater pleasure," Jasper assured her picking her up easily without another word as if she weighed no more than a feather, which she didn't to him anyway.

"My, you certainly are a strong one, aren't you?" Bella asked teasingly knowing very well that vampires were much stronger than humans. "I like that in a man," she added using one hand to pinch his bicep in one arm.

"You littlest desire will be granted," Jasper told her quite seriously. "Anything you want is yours without question as you are my life and my existence. My existence has been filled with sadness, violence and anger and in the last few decades contentment, but now that I found you I am more than content, but truly happy which would not be possible without you."

Bella blushed at Jasper's words knowing that he meant every single one and that he wasn't just saying them to butter her up.

"All I want or need is you," Bella told him kissing his lips from where she was laying in his arms as he walked her to the bedroom so that she could get dressed.

"And you have me, my lady," Jasper told her seriously. "For the rest of my existence I shall never look at another woman for all I need to be happy is you."

"Well good," Bella told him. "I feel the same way."

Jasper put her down reluctantly on the bed and went to get dressed before returning and handing her one of his shirts for her to wear since her's had been torn up thanks to the attack of that lowlife scum, which he had been happy to end the life of.

Bella rose from the bed and began to slowly get dressed not even demanding that Jasper turn his back while she did so as that would've been silly considering he had already seen her whole body and seemed pleased and happy with what he saw.

"See something you like?" asked Bella coyly not at all shy about Jasper looking at her like she was some kind of delicious dessert that he would just love to devour.

"Like isn't a strong enough word," Jasper told her. "In fact if we had time I would spend the next week or two showing you how much I love you, but unfortunately that is not to be or at least not right now. Once you are changed I guarantee you that we will not be leaving the bedroom except to hunt and that is a promise."

"I'm looking forward to it," Bella said repeating her earlier words.

"So am I," Jasper assured her giving her another kiss before he allowed Bella to finish getting dressed.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

"So you said we had a lot to talk about," said Bella as soon as she and Jasper were dressed. Bella had put back on her pants but her blouse was just too dirty for her to want to wear not to mention being ripped in several places so she threw it in the trashcan with with a sigh of regret as it had been one of her favorites.

"That was one of my favorite blouses," Bella said in an aggrieved tone. "I haven't even had it all that long. Just a year or so."

Although Jasper didn't say anything he know that if it had been Alice an outfit would have been worn once, maybe twice before it was donated to charity. That Bella had said she had that blouse for over a year told him volumes about the fact that she wore clothes until they were to faded or had stains on them that wouldn't come out. He was like that himself and wore clothes until they were just to worn out to wear anymore and deserved to be thrown away.

"I'll buy you another," Jasper promised as he sat down on the couch pulling Bella onto his lap.

"Jasper, that is very generous of you, but there is no need to," Bella told him. "I have plenty of other clothes and I really don't need anymore at least right now. I would have to be wearing one of my two favorite blouses when I was attacked though, which is just my luck."

"Actually that is one of the things we need to discuss," Jasper said vowing silently to get her another blouse that was at least similar to her old one. "Am I mistaken in the assumption that you agreed to become a vampire so we can start a life together?"

"No, you are not mistaken," Bella told him turning serious. "I would like to wait for awhile so we can get to know each other a little better, but I know how I feel about you so, yes, I am willing to be turned into a vampire so that we can be together. I've never felt this strongly about anybody in my entire life not even when we dated for weeks or longer and I know we have known each other for less than a day, but my feelings for you are so strong already that it is almost literally unbelievable."

Jasper relaxed at Bella's words and if he had been human his heart would have been beating double time.

"Also I need to get my affairs in order and we need to find a way to fake my death so that Melissa and my other friends don't suspect anything but a tragic accident," Bella added her tone sad. "I believe I'll miss Melissa more then I'll miss my other friends."

"If you're not sure..." Jasper began before Bella interrupted him.

"Oh no, I am sure," Bella assured him. "All I meant was that I will miss Melissa a great deal. The fact of the matter is that while I will miss Melissa, I can live without her if I have to, but on the other hand even though we have known each other for less then twenty-four hours I know I cannot live without you. My feelings for you have only grown the longer we are together."

Jasper breathed an inaudible sigh of relief and relaxed again.

"Stop worrying," Bella mock scolded him, kissing his nose. "I'm not going to change my mind, you know."

"I'll try," Jasper promised kissing the top of her head, reverently.

"Do that," Bella ordered him, but with a smile in order to take the sting out of her words.

"So, what do you want to do for the rest the day?" asked Jasper. "We can start getting to know each other and there's some things I need to tell you, but they can wait, awhile anyway."

"Well as much as I would like to stay here and make love for the rest of the day I do need some food. You might not need to eat, but I do."

Jasper mentally scolded himself for forgetting that Bella was human and humans needed substance at regular intervals. "And after we get you some breakfast?" asked Jasper.

"Well, we do need to go and spend some time with Melissa as I did after all promise to introduce you to her. If that doesn't take the rest of the day I'll have to see. If she offers you food just tell her that you had a big breakfast and aren't hungry."

"I can eat human food if I have to in order to keep up appearances," Jasper said making a face, "but I would have to cough it up afterwards and that's never very pleasant."

"Is that so," said Bella looking interested as that was one thing she had not known about vampires from all her reading on myths and legends.

"Yes, I've had to do it a few times over the years in order to avert suspicions."

"Well let's go get me some breakfast. I know there's a Denny's about a block from here. I do have one question for you before we leave though."

"What's that?" asked Jasper.

"Will you be able to control yourself around my friend not to mention all the people in the restaurant so that you don't accidentally drain anybody dry? Oh and what are you going to do about hiding your eyes since I would think red eyes are a dead giveaway to what you are."

"To answer your first question yes I can control myself, especially since I just fed. Now if I hadn't it would be a different story entirely. As to your second question I have a contact lenses that should make my eyes look like a cloudy blue. A lot of vampire's use them if they are going to be interacting with humans on a regular basis and sunglasses aren't always appropriate unfortunately."

"I see," said Bella looking thoughtful. "Very well then let's get going, I'm starving."

Bella grabbed Jasper's hand and together the two of them walked out of the hotel room together the door locking automatically behind them.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

Bella entered her Melissa's apartment using her key, which luckily she had not lost when she had been attacked.

"Lissa? You here?" Bella called.

"Of course I am," said Melissa coming out of her bedroom. "Some of us have to study after all to pass our classes," she added teasingly. "I'm glad to see that you are alright. I was starting to get worried before you called last night as you were so late getting home," she added more seriously.

"I'm fine." Bella rolled her eyes at her friend, although she privately acknowledged that in this case Melissa had been right to worry about her. "You know very well I study very hard or I wouldn't pass any of my classes," Bella mock scolded her.

"And yet you make it seem so effortless," Melissa said with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. "You are after all a straight A student and have a grade average of 4.0."

"And you aren't?" asked Bella, rolling her eyes again. "Don't pretend with me as you also get straight A's and have a grade point average of 4.0. Anyway not to deliberately change the subject, but this is Jasper Whitlock the guy who saved my life. You said you wanted to meet him so here we are."

"Yes I did," said Melissa turning serious stepping forward to shake Jasper's hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you and thank you for saving the life of my best friend in the world."

"You're welcome," said Jasper. "I just happened to be in the right place at the right time."

"Still thank you, most people wouldn't have done a damn thing not wanting to get involved and Bella would have more than likely lost her life."

"What can I say I've never been able to pass by a damsel in distress," said Jasper lightly. "It was the way I was raised." Although his words were light indeed it was also obvious that he was also deadly serious.

"Why don't we sit down," Bella suggested breaking up the heavy atmosphere.

"So tell us about yourself," Melissa suggested as soon as they were seated, Melissa in a chair and Jasper and Bella on the loveseat.

"There's not really much to tell," Jasper a nonchalant shrug "I was raised just outside of Houston Texas. My parents were farmers although both of them are dead now. I did have a brother, but he died under rather mysterious circumstances. My parents left me some money and I've been working for the last few years on investing it wisely."

Bella knew that Jasper was almost certainly editing his words rather heavily, but although she had no idea how old Jasper really was she was sure that he had been born at least 100 years ago, but there was no way he could tell Melissa that or even hint at it.

"You never went to college?" asked Melissa in surprise. "I would think someone as intelligent as you would have gone to college to get a degree."

"Never seemed to have the time," Jasper said with a shrug. "By the time I got my parents affairs straightened out and sold the farm...well college just never seemed like a viable option for me. Maybe in a few years. Besides I've never believed that the most important things you learn in this life are found in school and classes. I believe that you learn all the important lessons just by living your life day by day."

"What a concept, the most important lessons aren't learned in school but just by living your life, Melissa joked. "You would cause the collapse of the entire school system with an outrageous idea like that."

"Probably," Jasper agreed easily liking Melissa and her rather quirky sense of humor. Melissa was a very beautiful girl with long silky straight black hair, gray eyes that were tilted slightly making her look as if she had an oriental ancestor somewhere in her line and milky white, smooth skin with just a hint of freckles across her nose. She was at least 2 inches shorter than Bella as she couldn't've been more than 5'3' or 5'4' at most.

The three of them continued to talk for another little while until it approached lunch time. "Would you like to stay for lunch?" asked Melissa trying not to look hopeful, as she really did want to get to know the guy that had had saved her best friend's life, better.

"No thank you, Bella and I had a rather large breakfast I don't know about her, but I am still stuffed and don't think I could eat much at all," Jasper said, turning down the invitation politely.

"I'm still pretty full to," Bella agreed, hoping that her stomach wouldn't growl making her out to be a liar.

"Oh come on you two, you're no fun," Melissa pouted.

"Sorry Lissa, but Jasper insisted on taking me out for breakfast and I'm afraid I ate way too much and I'm afraid that Jasper and I have plans for this afternoon and evening."

"And we had better be going," said Jasper catching on quickly.

"Just let me change my clothes so you can have yours back," said Bella as she got up and headed towards her bedroom.

"Feel free to keep it on if you want," Jasper told Bella. "Personally I like you wearing my shirt and it isn't as if I don't have plenty of others

"What happened to your blouse anyway?" asked Melissa, curiously.

"It had to be thrown away I'm afraid as that rapist really did a number on it. There were several rips and tears and it was so dirty it probably never would have become clean again even if it hadn't been all torn up."

"Just your bad luck," Melissa said sympathetically, "since it was your favorite."

"Don't I know it," Bella agreed still looking mightily upset at the loss of her blouse. "But better to lose the blouse then to lose my life or to be raped."

"True enough," Melissa agreed. "I suppose your blouse is a small price to pay for escaping from that rapist without anything worse happening to you."

"It is although I still wish he had torn up my blouse. Oh well," said Bella with a shrug, sounding philosophical about it disappearing into her bedroom.

"Melissa, do you know where Bella bought that blouse," asked Jasper quietly enough so that Bella wouldn't hear him from the bedroom.

"Why?" asked Melissa curiously.

"I'd like to buy her another one just like it if possible or at least something similar if they don't have the same thing."

"And you don't want Bella to know?" Melissa guessed.

"No she's already told me that I don't need to buy her another blouse, but I know how upset she is at losing it so I thought I'd do it anyway and surprise her."

"That sounds like her," Melissa said. "She doesn't like anybody to spend money on her. I think she feels like if she lets people buy her things that she owes them or something. She doesn't ever ask for help even when she's struggling with something, wanting to do it herself, but she won't refuse your help if you offer it. I know she believes that if she asks for help that she isn't independent even though that isn't true."

Jasper frowned at Melissa's statement, wondering if he could break Bella of that habit or if it was so ingrained it would be impossible.

"What you didn't know?" asked Melissa.

"No, I didn't know, as we haven't discussed her little quirks or anything like that very much, at least not yet. We have after all only known each other for like a day and even though I saved her life that doesn't mean that I know her well enough to notice things like that."

"Yes, that's true, it's hard to remember that you've only known each other for such a short period of time because as from what I have observed it seems like you've known each other for months maybe years. You just seem to fit together like two pieces of a jigsaw puzzle."

"Even though we've only known each other for a day it does feel like I've known her forever," Jasper admitted, "and I'm pretty sure that Bella feels the same way."

That was partly the mate bond Jasper knew, but there was something else to it although what he wasn't sure.

"Ready to go?" asked Bella coming out of the bedroom, still wearing Jasper's shirt, but having changed her pants. She had decided to not take off Jasper's shirt after all since he had said that he liked it on her. The shirt was much to big on her since Jasper was way larger in the chest and shoulders then she was, but Bella often liked roomy clothes to just relax in and so didn't mind that in the least. Besides it was comfortable and it smelled like him, which was a big bonus as far as she was concerned for she thought Jasper smelled absolutely fantastic and would gladly breathe in his scent for centuries to come as she was sure he would smell even better to her much more acute vampire nose then he did now, which she was really looking forward to.

"Yes," Jasper said rising from where he was still sitting on the love seat.

"So where are you going?" asked Melissa curiously.

"We thought we'd go to the movies," Bella said, "and I've been wanting to go to the amusement park that's not too far from here."

"Will you be home tonight at all?" asked Melissa with a questioning tone in her voice.

"Yes, I should be home by no later then eleven," Bella assured her friend. "I do after all have classes tomorrow."

"Don't forget the test tomorrow," Melissa said. "It's a good thing that you always read several chapters ahead in all your subjects when you have the time."

"Yes it is," Bella agreed, "but that doesn't mean I don't need to study."

"You've already studied for this particular test haven't you?" asked Melissa.

"Yes, which is a good thing or I would be sure to fail and there would go my 4.0 average," Bella joked.

"We better go or we won't make our movie," Jasper said looking at his watch in order to give the impression that they were going to be late if they didn't hurry.

"I'll see you tonight, if I'm still awake," said Melissa as she watched them leave thinking how lucky her best friend was to have found a guy like that, for not only was he handsome, he was nice, generous and intelligent.

Melissa sighed and wondered why she couldn't find a guy like that. A guy that thought she walked on water and vice versa of course. Maybe someday.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

"So are we really going to the movies?" asked Jasper.

"We can if you want, but that was just an excuse to get us out of the apartment so we could be by ourselves. If I hadn't had some sort of excuse Melissa would have kept us the rest of the day trying to find out where we were going. She tends to be rather curious like that."

"I believe there is an expression that goes like this: As curious as a cat," Jasper suggested.

"Yes, yes, that fits Melissa perfectly," Bella exclaimed surprised she had never thought of it as that particular expression was pretty common.

"So, what do you really want to do?" asked Jasper.

"It doesn't really matter to me," Bella admitted. "So long as we are together."

"Well, the movies are a good suggestion even though you used it as an excuse to get Melissa off your back," Jasper said. "Is there anything playing that you particularly want to see?"

"Let me get some lunch first and then we can see about the movie, but to tell you the truth I don't really pay much attention to what's playing as I'm normally too busy studying or doing things with the few friends I have. The only other thing I do besides what I just mentioned is that I try to run in the park at least three times a week so that I can keep myself in shape."

"Really?" asked Jasper in surprise, although he supposed he shouldn't have been as Bella had a very toned and slimly muscled body and you didn't get that kind of body without exercise.

"Yes I started when I was just 15 as I thought it was a good way to overcome my natural clumsiness by getting in shape. Besides it got me out of the house and away from my mother for at least a couple of hours every day, especially in the summer. I was kind of an unpaid servant."

"Which is why you cut off all contact with her and swore never to go home once you left the house for college," Jasper said.

"Yes, that's it exactly," said Bella. "How did you know that?"

"You talk in your sleep," Jasper told her gently.

Bella winced, "Jake often said the same. It's a bad habit I know but I've never managed to break it. Anyway, my mother didn't want me to go away to college. She wanted me to go to the local community college just so I could live at home and supposedly take care of her. I nixed that idea in the bud right away as I wasn't about to become an unpaid servant for the rest of her life. I wanted to do things with my life, go to college, have a career, fall in love, get married. My mother is absolutely phobic about marriage and told me time and time again to never get married at all, or that if I absolutely had to get married to wait at least until I was 40. I think she felt that she had married way too young and that she hadn't really had a chance to live her life at all or do all the things that she wanted to do."

"Your mother sounds..." Jasper tried to think of a polite word and failed.

"Insane? Crazy? Ca-ca?"

"All those things and more," Jasper admitted looking not at all ashamed of himself for putting down his mate's mother.

Bella squeezed Jasper's hand then said, "Don't worry I'm not in the least bit offended since I know very well my mother could be declared legally insane or should at least be placed in a mental hospital. I suppose she did support us as she had her teaching degree and she had a job at the local elementary school. On the other hand I was the one that paid the bills as Renée never paid them until they cut off the electricity or repossessed the car. That happened more than once you know because Renée would forget to pay the bills until the very last minute or more often than not she would let them go overdue for 3 to 4 months at a time until she was absolutely forced to pay them."

"Your mother sounds very irresponsible," Jasper snorted disapprovingly.

"Oh she was. Me on the other hand learned responsibility early. I learned how to pay the bills and just had her sign her name on the dotted line. I hardly ever had time for fun and had no friends whatsoever. I was too mature and responsible for most of them, which was one of the reasons I was determined to get out of Phoenix as soon as I could."

"And the other reason was so you could get away from your mother," said Jasper.

"You got it," Bella agreed. "I got my dependability and sense of responsibility from my father. I started filling out college applications as soon as I had taken my SAT exams, which I took in my junior year so I could began sending them out. I was determined that as soon as I graduated I was not going to spend the summer at home if I could help it and be my mother's unpaid drudge, so I started sending in my applications for various colleges. By the time the end of my senior year rolled around I had acceptances too over a dozen colleges. I wanted to get as far away from Phoenix as I could so I picked a college that was on the opposite coast that had the courses I wanted."

"Does your mother have any idea where you are?" asked Jasper.

"No, I cut off contact with her completely and refuse to even answer her emails. She keeps trying every few weeks, but I never answer her and I have been considering changing my email address. The only thing preventing me is that it is such a pain. I would have to give the new address to all my friends, then tell them that they were not allowed to give it out to anybody and then of course there is no guarantee that they wouldn't."

"Pretty soon you won't be allowed to answer your old email as you will technically be dead to all your friends," said Jasper.

"I know, but I can always get a new email address," said Bella.

"One of those secure ones where not even the best hacker in the world would be able to discover your identity," said Jasper.

"I am pretty sure I'd have a false identity by that time and that would be the name I used for my new account. I'd be Bella and whatever last name I choose."

"Not Isabella?" Jasper asked.

"No, I have never liked the name Isabella or at least I haven't since my father died. That is the main reason I go by Bella in the first place. The last person to call me Isabella was my father, which is probably why I don't like it, to many memories both good and bad."

"I'm hoping by the time you have to have a new email address that you would have consented to marry me so that you can use your new name on your account."

"Was that just a proposal of marriage Jasper Whitlock?" asked Bella with an arched eyebrow. "We've only known each other for a little bit over a day, isn't it a bit soon to be thinking about such things?"

"Not really," Jasper replied his voice calm although his stomach felt as if he had a whole bunch of butterflies flying around in it. "We are mates after all and that makes all the difference in the world. I already know that I want to spend the rest of my existence with you, don't you feel the same?"

"Of course I do," Bella replied firmly. "I was just teasing you. If you were really serious about that proposal the answer is yes, I will marry you."

"You will?" ask Jasper looking so happy that his face practically glowed the butterflies in his stomach disappearing.

"I will," Bella said, leaning over to kiss his cheek. "Let us wait a little while before we have to go through with it though," said Bella.

"How long?" asked Jasper excitedly sounding like an excited little boy, which made Bella smile.

"You're going to arrange an accident in about a month right?" asked Bella.

"Or a little longer, although we can't afford to wait much longer than that," said Jasper.

"Well then say in three weeks we can get married. I don't need a big todo. Just the two of us, a couple of professional witnesses and the preacher will be plenty."

"You don't want your best friend there?" asked Jasper in surprise.

"No, because how would we explain why we were getting married so soon?" said Bella reasonably. "Melissa would assume that I was pregnant and even telling her that I wasn't probably wouldn't convince her. Even if she did believe us she would probably assume I was dying of some kind of disease and that I wanted to marry you and be happy before it killed me. I'm afraid that Melissa has a rather vivid imagination. Besides stories like that tend to spread and before you know it I would be pregnant with triplets and I married you against my will because you forced me or several other variations. It's just better if we don't tell anyone at all and easier as well."

"If that is what you want then I am happy to go along with it," Jasper said agreeably smiling happily, which was a rather unusual expression for him as he was usually the very serious type. He had a feeling though that he would be smiling a lot more from now on, "as you're the one that knows Melissa best after all."

"Is there anybody that you want to invite?" asked Bella.

"Not really no, except maybe Peter and Charlotte," Jasper said after a moment of thought.

"Who are Peter and Charlotte?" asked Bella.

"I'll tell you about them sometime," Jasper promised. "They're part of the story of my past. We need to sit down so I can tell it to you sometime in the very near future."

Bella thought about that but then let it go for the moment as she was sure Jasper would tell her when he was ready.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

Jasper stopped the car in front of the restaurant that Bella had decided on and then he got out and went to open her door before she could.

"Thank you Jasper, you're always so polite," said Bella.

Jasper took her arm and opened the restaurant door for her before escorting her inside and getting a table for two.

"What can I get for you, honey?" asked the waitress pushing her overlarge boobs into Jasper's face ignoring Bella completely.

"First off miss, you can get your boobs out of my face," said Jasper rudely, although normally he was never rude. "Secondly you can kindly take my fiancée's order and thirdly you'll apologize for your behavior and show her some respect or I will go to the manager and have your ass fired."

The waitress looked affronted and angry, but apparently she did have at least a little bit of common sense because she did as she was ordered and Bella who had been watching the scene felt really jealous, and inadequate but gave her order without ever showing the waitress that she was in the least bothered.

"Don't be jealous, darlin'," Jasper told Bella quietly as he took her hand under the table. "That waitress is nothing but a hussy and it doesn't matter how beautiful she is. I have absolutely no feelings for her except for contempt for the way she treated the most important person in the world to me. Besides who wants someone who pushes themselves on you just to get noticed?"

"A lot of men would go for that," Bella told him quietly her jealousy fading a little.

"While that's true I am not one of them." Jasper told her. "Back when I was born woman were much less forward then they are today and that is the environment I was raised in. I assure you that woman offends every instinct I've got and I wouldn't want someone like her even if we were the last humans on Earth.

Finally Bella laughed, and Jasper tried to hide his relief at the sound. In most cases Bella was very self-confident or at least that was what he had observed in the short time he had known her. For some reason though Bella seemed to be sure that he was going to leave her for somebody she thought was more beautiful than her. What she didn't see or perhaps wouldn't was that she was very beautiful in her own way. So what if she didn't have the flamboyant beauty of the waitress, not everybody had to be so obviously gorgeous that it almost seemed to be manufactured.

The waitress, brought their food and Jasper politely thanked her. Although he didn't look at her he was aware that she resented the fact that he had put her in her place or that he had been able to resist her at all.

After Bella finished eating her good humor seeming to be restored and Jasper breathed a silent sigh of relief. "If you're finished why don't we head to a jewelry store and pick out an engagement ring for you?" Jasper suggested.

Bella face lit up at the suggestion, and Jasper was happy to see her so excited.

"So, any suggestions on what jewelry store you want to go to?" asked Jasper.

"Not really," said Bella. "I don't really know much about jewelry as I've never owned anything more then cheap stuff that isn't worth a great deal."

"We'll have to change that in the very near future, as you deserve more, then the cheap stuff. You deserve to be showered with gorgeous things and not just the cheap gold plated fake gems crap," Japer told her as they got up from the table after paying the bill. Jasper didn't bother leaving a tip which should have said clearly to anyone that he was annoyed.

"Jasper..." Bella began exasperated.

"No protesting," Jasper told Bella sternly cutting her off, "You are going to have to get used to being spoiled."

"Jasper there is no need..." Bella began to protest again.

"Maybe not," Jasper said firmly, "but I have more money than I know what to do with and I'm more than happy to spend some of it on the woman I love. I wasn't lying to Melissa when I told her that I had spent the last few years or it's more like decades investing. Trust me when I say I have more money then we will ever need and vampires live forever."

Bella gave in with a sigh no longer protesting although she didn't look happy. "It's just that I can't return the favor, as I don't have that kind of money," Bella said after a few minutes of silence.

"Oh didn't I tell you?" asked Jasper as if the idea had just occurred to him although he had been contemplating how to get her to accept a five million dollar deposit from him. "You soon will have that kind of money because it is customary to give a new vampire enough money to get started in their new life and it's the responsibility of the one that changed them to do so."

"Is it?" Bella asked amused her good humor restored, "or is it something you made up on the spur of the moment to get me to accept it?"

"It really is the custom," Jasper told her more seriously, "because even if we don't need to buy groceries, we still need clothes, several places to live in different cities in case you need someplace different in a hurry, things to keep from being bored since our kind doesn't need to sleep as living forever can be rather tedious."

"I see, that being vampire is more complicated then I thought," said Bella looking thoughtful.

"Yes it is," Jasper agreed.

"Exactly how old are you Jasper?" Bella asked suddenly.

"Well I was born in 1842, so that would make me a 163 or 4, but I'm not sure of the exact month or date of my birth so...," said Jasper with a shrug his voice trailing off. "I was changed at 20 though so I haven't aged a day in all that time, so technically you will always be older than me."

"Oh, I'm dating a younger man," Bella teased as she did a little dance in her seat.

Jasper laughed. "And I'm dating an older woman, although I hardly think that three years count."

"So what jewelry store are we going to?" asked Bella after a few minutes of comfortable silence.

"I thought I'd take you to Tiffany's as it is supposed to be one of the best jewelry stores in New York."

"Tiffany's..." Bella breathed in awe.

"You've heard of them?" asked Jasper not really surprised since Tiffany's was quite famous and had been mentioned in numerous movies and books over the years.

"If you read as much as I do or watch old classic movies you would have heard about them to," Bella said confirming Jasper's thoughts. "Besides they've been around forever and when you've been around that long most people have at least heard of you even if they've never had anything from the store. They have locations almost everywhere although the one in New York is the original. The Tiffany setting of a ring is legendary not to mention hideously expensive."

The way Bella's eyes glowed and the way her emotions were of longing and desire at the mention of the Tiffany's setting let Jasper know that she wanted something from there even if she wouldn't say she did. Well whatever his mate wanted was what she was going to get no matter how much she protested that it was too expensive. He would give her the sun, the moon and the stars in the sky if he could even if she didn't ask for them because that was how much he loved her.

A comfortable silence fell between them and Jasper took one of his hands off the wheel so that he could reach across the seat and hold one of her soft hands in his.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

"Here we are, Tiffany's," said Jasper as he parked in one of the very few free spaces.

Once Jasper stopped the car they both got out and Jasper escorted Bella into the store. Bella looked around in wonder for there were chandeliers on the ceiling that made the store seem to be lit with a soft glow that was much nicer than the normal store lights.

"Can I help you sir, ma'am?" asked one of the store employees coming out from behind the counter.

Both Jasper and Bella were dressed in casual but good quality clothes and the salesman recognized immediately that they had money for even though they weren't dressed like the ultrarich their clothes were still expensive and that made the salesman give them all his attention. The salesman also immediately recognised the fact that the woman was wearing the man's shirt as if was much to large for her small frame, but that the shirt itself was of good quality. In this day and age a woman wearing a man's shirt really didn't mean much, but the way the man possessively had his hand on the woman's arm and also the way he looked at her told the salesman all he needed to know about them for the signs of love were obvious to him even if they wouldn't be to others.

"We like to look at engagement rings, please," said Jasper politely knowing that the man was hoping to make his quota and that he had immediately recognized that his and Bella's clothes although casual were expensive and of good quality.

He had been right, the salesman thought very pleased with himself for his accurate interpretation of the signs.

"Right this way, sir," said the salesman. "My name is Gerard by the way and I will be happy to be of service for whatever you need."

"Thank you, Gerard," said Bella giving the man a dazzling smile. "That is most kind of you and we would appreciate your help and advice."

Jasper forced himself not to laugh as Gerard almost literally melted into a puddle of goo at Bella's smile and words. If Bella could turn this very prim and proper man into a puddle of goo just with a smile and a few words then she would be even more deadly as a vampire and Jasper was looking forward to testing it sometime in the very near future. It was going to be very amusing to watch a whole roomful of men turn into puddles of goo when Bella turned her attention on them.

They reached the counter with engagement rings and Bella looked over the selection. All the rings were very beautiful but when her gaze fell on one in particular she immediately fell in love with it. She looked at the price tag and tried not to visibly wince when it saw that it was 40,000. The tag said that it was a 2 carat round brilliant diamond set in a Tiffany's channel-cut diamond band.

"See something you like?" asked Jasper knowing that she did but wanted to see if she would admit that she really liked that $40,000 ring or if she would look at other rings that she didn't like as much just because they were cheaper.

"I really like this one, although $40,000 plus tax is to much to spend just on an engagement ring," said Bella said pointing at the ring she had been looking at and Jasper was proud that she had told him the truth and she didn't even yet know about his talent.

"If we didn't have the money I would agree," Jasper told her quietly enough that Gerard wouldn't hear him as he was standing off to the side letting them make the selection on their own. He would only give advice if they asked for it and so far they hadn't. "But also as you know I've been alive a long time and in all that time I've invested my money well, so literally the sky's the limit as I have billions of dollars in various accounts to my name. $40,000 is just a drop in the bucket quite literally."

"What do you mean we?" asked Bella looking into Jasper sunglass clad eyes. "It isn't my money it's your money."

"It's both of ours monies," Jasper told her and his tone of voice brooked no argument. "As far as I'm concerned that money belongs to both of us. Actually I was already planning on having your name added to my accounts just as soon as I could. I was also planning opening an account in your name although I haven't done it yet."

"Jasper..."

"No arguments," Jasper told her sternly, but quietly. "You've got to get over this hangup of yours about accepting gifts whether it's money or jewelry or anything else. Accepting something that is offered freely and with no strings attached does not make you any less independent it just means that you will have the resources to do whatever you want with your life."

Bella gave in with an amazing amount of grace and Jasper gestured to Gerard just as soon as he was sure that Bella was not want to argue with him anymore on that subject at least not at present.

"We'll take this one," said Jasper pointing at the $40,000 ring.

"A good choice, sir, ma'am" Gerard said opening the case with his keys and taking the ring out.

"Now if you don't mind ma'am, I need to measure your finger for your ring size in case the ring needs to be sized down."

Bella held out her wedding finger without comment and Gerard took out a series of gauge rings from behind the counter in order to measure her ring size.

"2.5 inches," Gerard muttered as he took the ring in order to size it in the back.

"Is there anything else that you would like?" asked Jasper as soon as Gerard was out of sight and out of hearing range in the backroom. "And don't bother protesting," Jasper told her when it looked like that was exactly what Bella was going to do. "I love you and I am perfectly happy to spend any amount of money on whatever you want. You are going to have to get used to surprises on a regular basis if we're going to spend the next few centuries together. A gift is to show someone that you care about them and it doesn't matter how expensive that gift is just so that person knows that you were thinking about them. It could be something as cheap as a ticket to a movie or as expensive as a piece of fine jewelry or a car, it doesn't really matter."

"You're right," Bella admitted. "I'll try to get over my hangup about somebody buying me expensive gifts. I know I can be stubborn about certain things and people spending money on me, especially a lot of money, is one of them."

"All of us have our faults," Jasper told her. "I know I do, although spending money if I really want something isn't one of them."

Bella went to look at the necklaces and found several that she liked immediately although all of them were hideously expensive. Bella didn't protest when Jasper asked Gerard to take them out of the case so that she could try them on.

Bella fell in love with all three of the necklaces she had picked out and Jasper silently added them to what he was going to buy for his mate.

How was it that Jasper always knew what she really liked without her having to say a word? Bella wondered. Was it just his over a century and a half of experience or was it something else?

"Don't we need wedding bands to?" asked Bella as a test of sorts.

"Yes we do," Jasper agreed calmly.

Gerard showed them both the female and male wedding bands and Bella and Jasper quickly picked out two.

"Will that be all?" asked Gerard.

"Yes I believe so," said Jasper. For now, he added silently making sure his expression didn't change.

Gerard took their purchases and rang everything up. By the time he was done Jasper owed quite a tidy sum, but he didn't even wince at the total, just took out his credit card and handed it to the man.

Gerard boxed everything up in the blue jewelry boxes that were Tiffany's trademark and finally bagged it before handing it over the counter to Jasper.

"Thank you for your purchases and we hope to see you again sometime," Gerard said as Jasper took the bag in one hand and Bella's hand in the other.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

"Well that was certainly an expensive shopping trip," Bella said dryly trying not to let it bother her that they had spent so much money at one time.

"Not really," said Jasper with a shrug really not seeming to care that he had just been spent upwards of $150,000 in just a couple of hours. He knew very well that Alice or any of the Cullens really could spend that amount or more without blinking an eye, although it was really Alice and Rose that were the worst offenders.

"You don't seem to care about money at all," Bella said looking at him in wonder.

"If you mean I don't care about how much I spend at any one time you would be right. What's the point of having bottomless pools of money if you are going to stint yourself? If I hadn't invested so wisely over the years and had so many sound investments I would care more about spending, but since I did...I don't really."

"I guess I can see your point of view," Bella admitted.

"Bella, there are some things I need to tell you about my past. Things you need to know and the best place to do that where we will not be overheard is back at my hotel room."

"What kind of things?" asked Bella curiously.

"I have a very violent past, Bella and I need to tell you about so that you are not frightened by me if I were to lose my temper for whatever reason," Jasper told her. "If I do lose my temper just know that it is not aimed you but whoever makes me angry. My story will probably take the rest of the day."

"Everybody has a temper, Jasper," Bella told him. "I know I do."

"I am a little...different when I lose my temper, which is something I need to explain to you so that you aren't ever frightened by me," Jasper said.

"Let's go back to your hotel room then and you can tell me the things that you think you need to," Bella said. "Just know that I will love you no matter what."

Jasper squeezed her hand letting her know that he appreciated her words, but remained silent.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

Jasper sat on the love seat in his hotel room Bella on his lap, which was very comfortable despite the fact that Jasper's body was as hard as stone.

"Ready to hear my story?" asked Jasper.

"Yes," Bella said confidently.

"Well it all began when the Civil War started..."

Jasper told her her all about his very violent past and about his creator Maria. It was several hours later when he got to the part about Alice and an hour after that when he told her about meeting the Cullens and about Alice and Edward's perfidy.

"That...that...bitch," Bella sputtered after Jasper had told her how he had left the family and how he had been wondering for the last several years.

"Yes, she is," Jasper agreed. "On the other hand I am glad I discovered her and Edward's treachery for I truly believe I never would have met you at all if their actions hadn't been discovered. I admit Carlisle was as upset as I've ever seen him as usually he never loses his temper and Esme who is one of the most motherly people I know was radiating anger and betrayal. Out of everybody it was Rose's actions that didn't surprise me in the least when she slapped Alice so hard that she went through a wall and she would've done the same to Edward except that he managed to avoid her thanks to him being able to read her thoughts."

"I think I could like Rosalie, a lot," Bella said giggling.

"Probably," Jasper admitted. "Although she does have this hangup about not being able to have children and I'm sure that she would be very upset if she discovered I was planning on changing you into a vampire as unlike Emmett you are not gravely injured but perfectly healthy. She would see that almost as an act of betrayal as having children is all she ever wanted before she was changed and even if you told her you never wanted them she would still see it that way."

"The Cullens will eventually know all about me and you, you know," Bella pointed out. "You can't keep it a secret forever. We are bound the run into each other at some point."

"Oh they will almost certainly know soon," Jasper admitted. "Did I not tell you that Alice can see the future?"

Bella nodded wondering where this was going.

"Well, sooner or later Alice is going to use her talent to try to discover where I'm at and when she finds me you are going to be in those visions too. When she sees how close we are and that I have finally found my true mate she is going to be furious even though she was the one that cheated on me and not the other way around. Let's just hope that you are changed into a vampire before that happens."

"Why?" asked Bella, curiously.

"Because it will be almost impossible to kill you once you are a vampire. Newborn vamps are exceptionally strong for the first year of their existences."

"She wouldn't really try to kill me would she?" asked Bella in astonishment and a little fear.

"Probably not," Jasper admitted, "but she will try her best to separate us. I know how Alice thinks and she would try her best to convince you that you weren't my mate even though you know you are because you have felt a slight tugging in my direction which signifies the mating bond. Once you are changed into a vampire I guarantee you that the tugging you feel now will be at least 1000 times stronger and you will know for fact that you are my mate just like I am yours."

"Is there a way to avoid a confrontation?" asked Bella a little apprehensively.

"Not likely," said Jasper with a sigh. "Alice can be very stubborn. I will say this, however, if she hurts you whether physically, mentally or any other way I will tear her apart and burn the pieces no matter what Carlisle and Esme will have to say about it. In any case Carlisle and Esme are not going to be very happy with me not because I'm going to change you into a vampire, but because I'm drinking human blood."

"Why did you go back to human blood?" asked Bella.

Her curiosity was plain with no tone of condescension so Jasper answered her as honestly as he possibly could. "Well, going back to human blood was really an accident," Jasper answered looking thoughtful. "I was so angry at Alice's betrayal that I hadn't been feeding as regularly as I should. I wandered from place to place for weeks only feeding when I absolutely had to, then totally by accident I came up on this man who was raping this woman. The woman was unconscious so I grabbed the man from behind and had him drained before he even knew I was there. My actions were automatic as I was more or less on autopilot not really thinking about what I was doing at all. When I finally finished draining the man I realized that I felt better than I had in decades and not in the least guilty since the man had been committing a very violent and demeaning crime. I believe the reason I didn't feel guilty about draining that man was because he was a criminal and not someone innocent who had never done any other person harm. My problem about draining humans was solved due to an accident and I was happier then I had been in decades. I then started thinking about my actions and decided that I was going to start hunting criminals so that I wouldn't feel at all guilty for ending their lives. Also at the time I felt like I was waking from a long and complicated dream—a dream that I had been in ever since I had met Alice and the Cullens—so although I was still furious at Alice's betrayal I realized that it was time to get on with my life, one without the Cullens. Even if I wanted to go back to the family again I very much doubt that Carlisle and Esme would accept me even if I went back on the animal diet, for even though draining that first human was an accident the rest of the ones I have fed off of over the last few years have been deliberate."

"Yes you did say that Carlisle is a pacifist," Bella said after a few minutes of comfortable silence.

"Yes, he is and it is an essential part of who he is. While he and Esme would have accepted that I accidentally drained a human they will never accept that I have continued to do so deliberately."

"What about Rosalie and Emmett?" asked Bella.

"They probably will accept it once Rose gets over the fact that I turned a perfectly healthy human into a vampire that is," Jasper said after he had considered the question for a few moments. "It won't really bother Emmett though as he is very easygoing and takes most everything in stride."

"So because you are an empath you were always able to anticipate my actions and knew when I really wanted something," said Bella as she thought about the fact that Jasper was empathic. "That's how you knew I really loved that engagement ring and those necklaces."

"Yes, that to, just so you know though I never changed your emotions. I don't do that kind of thing unless I ask first or it is a dangerous situation."

"I never believed you did," Bella told him truthfully. "Do all vampires have a talent?"

"No most vampires don't have any special talents," Jasper answered her. "A vampire's talent comes from their strongest human trait that is just enhanced after they are changed. My strongest trait as a human was my charisma so that became my empathic ability after I was transformed. I know perhaps a dozen others that have talents, but that's just out of vampires that I have actually met. Alice can see the future, Edward can read minds, Peter has this talent for just knowing stuff sometimes and it comes in the form of hunches, Aro, who is one of the three kings of the Volturi, our rulers has a talent similar to Edward's as all he has to do is touch someone to learn everything that they know, Marcus who is also one of our rulers can see bonds like our mating bond for example.

"That's only six, if we count yours that is," Bella said when Jasper didn't continue.

"Benjamin, who is part of the Egyptian Coven has the ability to control the elements, Alistair, who is a nomad has the ability to track anybody he wants to find down and Demetri who is part of the Volturi guard has a similar ability although it works a little differently. Jane has the ability to cause the illusion of incredible pain and her twin brother Alec is able to block others from using their gifts. Both are part of the Volturi. There are other vampires who have very minor gifts, like I know of one vampire who knows when someone is lying without having to read body language or hear their heart speed up like the rest of us do, and another who knows when somebody is telling the truth."

"Yin and Yang," Bella suggested. "Those two powers are opposites of each other."

"That's a good analogy," Jasper admitted. "There is also the Denali Coven who are considered cousins to the Cullens because of the fact that they also drink animal blood. One of the members Kate has the ability to cause an electric shock to anybody she touches, and the only male in the coven Eleazar has ability to vaguely identify if a vampire has a gift or not and what it is. I'm sure there are other vampires with different gifts out there, but that I've just never heard of or met."

Bella considered that then nodded. "Do you think I will have a talent?"

"It's possible," Jasper told her. "Just don't count on it, as most vampires don't have any extra talents."

"So what can I expect once I'm a vampire?" Bella asked.

"Well for one thing you'll be a lot stronger than a human even after your newborn stage is over. For another you'll have much better hearing, be much faster than a speeding bullet without getting out of breath, have much better vision, even at night. You will be able to crush most objects to powder without thinking about it so you will have to learn to be careful."

"Sounds like Superman," Bella joked.

"That's a very good comparison," Jasper said giving Bella kiss on the top of her head. "And really the only difference between a vampire and Superman is the fact that vampires don't fly although they can jump higher and then any mere human and also unlike Superman we don't take our energy from the sun."

"Superman also doesn't drink blood," Bella said seeming not at all disturbed at the thought of having to drink blood in order to survive as a vampire.

"True enough," Jasper admitted. "You don't seem at all worried about having to drink blood in order to survive."

Jasper's tone of voice was curious so Bella replied, "I am, incredibly nervous, but I also know you will be there and will help me."

"I will be, and I will help you every step of the way," Jasper assured her. "But doesn't it bother you that you will have to drain the life in order to feed?"

Bella considered Jasper's question seriously for a moment then said, "Yes, it will probably bother me a little, but on the other hand I am willing to do almost anything so that we can be together. I will probably feel at least a little guilty every time I kill a human in order to keep myself alive, but..."

"You could always feed off animals like the Cullens," Jasper suggested when Bella didn't continue.

"I suppose I could," Bella admitted. "What's the difference between feeding from a human or feeding from an animal? Since you've tried both ways you should be able to tell me of any differences, if any."

"There are a lot of differences actually," Jasper told her honestly. "For one thing although our kind can live off animal blood it is not as satisfying as human blood. If you do decide to drink animal blood you will always have a slight burning in the back of your throat whether or not you have just fed. For another thing it is much harder to control yourself when you have to go around humans for whatever reason. It takes some vampires a long time to be able to be around human beings for any length of time safely without instinctively wanting to drain them dry."

"But I will be able to?" asked Bella.

"Eventually, yes," Jasper told her giving her a little hug. "It does take some vampires a long time to learn to control themselves but on the other hand it takes others hardly any time at all. It just depends on the individual."

"On one hand I would definitely feel guilty if I were to drain an innocent human, but on the other I don't think I would hardly feel guilty at all if I were to drain a criminal. I'll have to think about whether or not I will be able to drain a human and not feel guilty for doing so."

"Yes, I feel the same way," Jasper told her proud of his mate for her courage and fortitude. "I'm proud of you, and no matter what you decide that will still be true. If you decide to drink from humans you will find it is easier than you think and also that you will not feel as guilty as you believe you will. Just think about the fact that the men and women we will go after are rapist, murderers, muggers, pedophiles, child molesters, drug dealers and many other criminals that hurt other people who just do their best to live their lives. When I was first created I didn't have any choice as to whether to drain humans or not since I didn't know of any other way and even if I had Maria never would have gone along with it, but once I got away from her and the Cullens and drained that rapist by accident..."

"You found that you didn't feel guilty all for ending his life," Bella told him giving him a kiss on the nose.

"Exactly. And that particular revelation really surprised me as that was why I had started drinking animal blood in the first place so that I wouldn't feel guilty for killing what used to be my own species. On the other hand now that I've started drinking human blood on a regular basis instead of animal I am able to be around humans more without fear of attacking them so long as I am well fed first. I always struggled being around humans when I was drinking animal blood and I always had to be very careful as I didn't want to kill someone innocent, especially with a lot of other humans around as they all would've had to die if they had seen what I had done."

"Animal blood might be drinkable but it does not assuage your hunger completely," Bella commented somewhat idly. "My theory is: the reason animal blood is drinkable for your kind is because it is similar enough to human blood for you to survive on but on the other hand it doesn't have some of the nutrients or whatever else makes up the blood that a human's does. Animal blood is simpler and not as complex so although you can survive off it you still struggle whenever you are around humans because it does not get rid of your hunger completely. Humans are the most complex organism on this planet and since you were once human it makes sense that only human blood would completely satisfy your thirst."

Jasper considered that for a moment then decided it was the most thorough explanation and one that made sense that he had ever heard. "That is the best explanation about vampires I have ever heard and why human blood is more satisfying," Jasper told Bella and sent her his pride, which was the first time he had ever sent her his feelings. Of course, before she hadn't known about his talent and so he had resisted sending his emotions to her, but now that she knew he was going to send her his feelings a lot.

Bella glowed as she felt Jasper's pride in her and she decided that she could live to like Jasper's talent a lot. A talent like that could come in handy in certain situations where you couldn't tell somebody how you were feeling because you were surrounded by dangerous people and didn't dare talk in words.

"I'm going to start sending you my feelings a lot," Jasper told her quite seriously, in an uncanny echo of Bella's own thoughts "Sometimes it is just easier than saying the words and also more believable because you can't fake emotion like you can lie with words."

"True. I don't really mind at all as it lets me know for a fact how you really feel about me and as you said it is almost impossible to lie using emotions while it is very easy to tell a falsehood with words."

"Good, I'm glad you don't object," Jasper told her with a grin. "One thing though that is useful to know is that you're human your emotions are not even a quarter as strong as they will be as a vampire. I guarantee you that that the first time I send you my emotions after you are changed will practically knock you over from the strength of them. A human's emotions are weak and muted compared to a vampire's. I believe that a vampire can just handle much stronger emotion then a human, without short circuiting, which is why humans emotion are so weak compared to a vampire's as we are just built a little differently and are equipped to handle much more."

"Tell me what transforming into a vampire is like," said Bella who had been vaguely worried about the process as she didn't know a thing about it and Jasper hadn't said anything about how it was done.

"I won't lie to you," Jasper said immediately having known that this subject was coming as Bella would naturally be curious as how she was going to be transformed into a vampire. "Becoming a vampire is a very painful process," Jasper began.

"In what way?" asked Bella looking even more worried now.

"Just so you know most vampires if not all of them have very of violent changes as they were bitten against their will and therefore had no idea what was happening to them. I'm not sure if you agreeing to become a vampire will make the process any different, but it might. As to how I will change you into a vampire really the process is very simple even if it's also very painful. First I will bite you in several key places to insert as much of my venom as possible into your bloodstream and it won't take any time at all before you're in so much pain that you will wish you were dead as the venom burns like acid. Slowly over the course of three days you will begin to change as the venom will race throughout your blood bringing your organs to a standstill, your skin will begin to harden, your fingernails will lengthen a little as will your hair. As this is happening you will be screaming and will scream throughout the entire three days of the process. Finally the last thing that happens is that the venom races to your heart and it starts to beat so fast that it feels as if it's coming out of your chest but soon your heart will start to slow down more and more until it feels as if it's not beating at all and it will give just one or two final beats before it stops completely. After that the process will be complete and you should wake up very thirsty, although you will never be able to eat or drink human food again."

"You will be there the whole time, right?" asked Bella looking very worried. She was not looking forward to being in such intense heart-rending pain for three whole days, but if that's what it took to become a vampire so that she could be with Jasper eternity then so be it. She would endure almost anything in order to be with the man she loved with her whole soul and no it didn't matter that she had only known Jasper for such a short length of time as she knew she loved him more than anything. Her feelings for Jasper were so strong that if she ever lost him she would not survive for very long without him and if she felt like this now, before she was even changed she knew her feeling would be many times multiplied once she was a vampire.

"I will and I am not going to leave your side for even an instant and that is a promise. You don't seem worried about the pain you will be in," Jasper commented after a moment.

"I am not looking forward to the pain that you say the transformation causes, but I am looking forward to being like you so we can spend the next thousand years or more together. I'm trying not to think about the pain I will be in actually as there is no point of worrying about it as it is necessary."

"That it is," Jasper agreed sending her his pride at her courage and also hugging her close to his side kissing the top of her head.

"All I ask is that you hold my hand and talk to me for the entire time so that I will know you are there and will be there when I wake."

"I will," Jasper swore. "Nothing could keep me away. I am not looking forward to you being in so much pain either, even though I know it is necessary, but once you are changed I will love you forever. I've been looking for my true mate ever since I escaped from Maria even though I didn't realize it for a long time."

"What are we going to do about Alice and the other Cullens?" asked Bella asking the question she had been worrying about for the last few minutes.

"Well, we could go to the Volturi if we had to as there are laws about interfering between mated vampires. We don't have very many laws actually, but the ones we do have usually mean instant death. The law about mates is the only one we have that doesn't mean instant death unless it is requested by the mated couple. Even if we did request it though there is no guarantees that the three kings would grant it."

"So, they wouldn't be punished?" asked Bella, curiously upset at the thought of anyone who had committed a crime getting off scot free.

"Oh they would be punished just not in the way that was requested. Alice and Edward would more then likely be forced serve in the Volturi guard for a certain number of years because Aro likes to collect vampires with talent. He has quite a few with various talents that he has either lured or forced into the guard over the millennia."

"And how have you avoided being forced into the guard?" asked Bella. "I would think that Aro would be very interested in you because of your empathic the ability."

"Most of the Volturi or really most vampires are afraid of me," Jasper admitted somewhat sheepishly. "I'm afraid I have quite a fearsome reputation because I was one of the very few that survived the Southern Wars which means that I am one hell of a fighter, not to mention I was Maria's second-in-command. Aro knows that I could take apart his guard and that includes Jane with her ability to give pain or Alec with his ability to block others gifts and have no trouble doing it even without my empathic talent. He has tried several times to lure me, but so far I've managed to turn him down politely. Not any other vampires can say the same, except perhaps Carlisle, because usually what Aro wants he gets one way or another."

"Will Aro want me as part of the guard?"

"If you don't have a talent, then no but if you do and it's something he considers useful then yes. He will try to get you to join, but thanks to me being your mate you should be able to turn him down as Aro will not want to make me angry."

"That's good," said Bella falling silent seeming to be lost in thought. Finally she said, "I suppose I had better try to spend as much time with Melissa as I can."

"Maybe we can set up a few double dates," Jasper suggested. "I'm afraid being away from you especially for me will be torture as according to Peter and Char it is very painful to be away, from your mate and you really can't be more than a 500 or 600 miles apart, because if you are more than that you will be in indescribable pain until you get back to them, but that will only take affect after you are changed."

"So this bond we have makes it so we can never be to far apart from each other," Bella said.

"I'm afraid so as being to many miles from each other is just asking for trouble."

"It doesn't matter because bond or no bond I wouldn't want to be very far from your side—ever—as I love you and the more time we spend together the more I am sure that I could never survive without you."

Jasper didn't reply verbally, but gave Bella passionate heartstopping kiss that said he loved her just as much without the need for words at all and he also sent her his emotions of love, lust, desire and gratitude that she was his and that she had agreed to spend the rest of her existence with him.

"Wow!" Bella exclaimed when Jasper broke the kiss so that she could breathe. "You're welcome to kiss me like that for as long as you want and as much as you want."

"Oh I plan on doing that a lot," Jasper assured her with a smug grin. "Once you are a vampire I'll be able to do that for days without stopping as vampires don't technically need to breathe."

"I'm looking forward to it," Bella said a bit breathlessly as she thought about how much she already loved Jasper's kisses and how spectacular they would be once they could kiss for hours on end without having to stop and take a breath even once.

"There is one other thing we need to discuss before we go do whatever you want," Jasper said. "What's that?" asked Bella.

"Well I just wanted to explain to you that although we are mated the mating bond is not complete," Jasper said.

"What do you mean?" asked Bella curiously as well as a little anxiously.

"Well, just that the bond is not complete until we bite each other while we're making love. That mark, which is usually on the neck, identifies to other vampires that we are mated and it also completes the bond."

"But you didn't bite me when you made love the first time," Bella said a little confused.

"I couldn't bite you until you are a vampire as it would have started the transformation," Jasper explained. "Believe me though I had to use every ounce of willpower I have in order to prevent myself from biting you right then and there as my demon was demanding that I make you mine for all time."

Bella nodded for Jasper had already explained all about the Major which was the vampire part of him and who he had been for decades while he was fighting in the Southern Wars.

"I only prevented the Major from doing what he wanted to do by reminding him that you had already agreed to become a vampire and that you just needed time to get your affairs in order and it wouldn't be a good idea for you to just disappear, especially in this century. Usually it is very hard to prevent the Major part of my personality from doing exactly what he wants to do, but I have decades of practice at controlling him. To tell you the truth I didn't have as much trouble controlling him as I thought I would and I believe that the only reason that is, is that the part of my personality that is the Major cares for and love you just as much as I do, which is not something I had ever foreseen happening."

"This is a good thing right?" asked Bella a little apprehensively.

"Yes, it is a very good thing," Jasper assured her, "for with the Major feeling protective of you if anything ever threatens you he will tear them apart or drain them dry in order to protect you. Not to mention since the Major part of my personality has acknowledged that you are his mate it means he will not hurt you even by accident as he knows that if you die, he will die as well. Even if he just hurt you with words he would feel your pain like it was his own and no that doesn't include the transformation into a vampire as both sides of my personality know that it is a necessary pain."

"So having both you and the Major feeling protective of me is a good thing," Bella commented looking a little relieved.

"Yes, yes it is," Jasper agreed. "Because the Major has never felt protective of anyone else and that includes Alice or the other Cullens. Sure they were his friends, but they were more Jasper's friends then the Major's and in any case I always kept the Major locked away and even now I very rarely let him out as he is hard to put back in his cage once he is."

Bella thought about that for a few minutes been said, "That's good then, although I warn you I will not be treated like some kind a damsel in distress or somebody that can't protect yourself if she has to."

"I would never treat you like that, Isabella," Jasper told her saying her name with a slight Texas drawl in his voice that made Bella shiver and think that Jasper's drawl was one of the sexiest things she had ever heard, but then she had always been attracted to a man with an accent and it didn't matter what kind either. "You are a strong, independent woman, darlin' and I will always treat you as one. Now I have one more question for you before we go to see your friend and ask her if she wants to join us for a double date."

"What's your question?" asked Bella her curiosity plain.

"I just wanted to know that when you want transformed into a vampire do you want to drink human blood or animal?" asked Jasper wondering if he was pushing his luck to soon. "The reason I am asking is that if you want to hunt humans I thought I would have 4 or 5 available for you so that I don't have to take you into the city and risk a massacre, but if you decide you want to drink from animals I'll have to take you someplace that there is a forest nearby. I need this information now because I will have to get humans and lock them up somewhere before I bite you as I don't plan on leaving your side until your transformation is complete. It doesn't really matter to me, which one you pick."

Bella thought about it and slowly realized that Jasper was giving her a choice which she was sure wasn't true for most, if not all the rest of the vampire population. "I'll try human," Bella decided after a few minutes of thinking about it and how she would feel killing what was after all her own species. She knew they had just discussed it a few minutes ago, but she had still been deciding if she would feel to guilty for draining a human, which after all would have been just like she used to be before her change into a vampire. "If it bothers me too much I can switch to animal. All I ask is that you make sure they are criminals of one sort or another as I don't want to drain a child or an innocent adult who has never committed any crimes."

"That's exactly my philosophy," Jasper approved sending her his pride at her very mature decision. "As I said before I only hunt criminals and usually it's only minor ones although once in a while I come across someone that really gets my venom boiling like a child molester."

"Well, I suppose we had better get going," said Bella although she was reluctant to move from where she was sitting on Jasper's lap with her head on his chest. Jasper's arms were around her holding her tenderly and she hated to break contact as she had never been so comfortable in her life despite the fact that Jasper's body was as hard as stone.

Bella started to rise from where she was sitting but just as she got to her feet Jasper's phone rang and both of them looked at each other wondering who it could be.

"Were you expecting any calls?" asked Bella and Jasper shook his head negatively and then checked the caller ID on his phone and answered it when he saw it was from Rose.

"Yes, Rose?" asked Jasper as soon as he had answered the call. Jasper listened to whatever Rosalie was saying and although he looked worried suddenly Bella didn't say anything until Jasper finally hung up the phone a few minutes later.

"So what did Rosalie want?" asked Bella.

"She called to warn me that Alice had a vision and that she and a Edward were heading this way both looking furious."

"Did she say what this vision was about?" asked Bella worrying her bottom lip.

"No, but I'm sure you can guess."

"Why couldn't she had had a vision two or three weeks from now," Bella sighed looking melancholy. "So what are we going to do?"

"Well, we need to start planning on how to fake your death, for one thing, and for another when Alice and Edward do show up, and trust me they will, you need to promise me that you will stay out of the way while I take care of them because they could hurt you without meaning to."

"Will you be able to handle them by yourself?"

"Yes, I can handle both of them by myself," Jasper said confidently, not boasting in the least.

"Even with their extra talents?" asked Bella worrying a little.

"Yes, even with their extra talents," Jasper told her. "You have to remember that I lived with both of them for decades and I know how both their talents work. All I need to do to mess up Edward is not think about what move I am going to do next and use just my instincts as he can only read surface thoughts. As for Alice, her talent is based on people making definite decisions, which can change at any time and if I stop myself from making any kind of decisions and just go by instinct she won't be able to see how to block my attack. Alice especially isn't really much of a fighter as she's always used her talent for every little, piddling thing. I'm not denying that her talent does come in useful for getting the Cullens out of troubling situations like if a human discovered what they are for example, but to use it for every little decision is just ridiculous."

"I agree," Bella said. "I would think that with a talent like that if you didn't only use it looking for trouble or for major decisions that you could very easily misuse it and force people into doing things that they would rather not just because she supposedly saw it in a vision."

"That's it exactly," Jasper said approvingly. "It eliminates free will or at least forces you to think that the future she has seen is the right one even if there are a dozen other futures that could happen depending on what kind of decision you make. Also Alice will push and pressure you into doing exactly what she saw in her vision. You can refuse, of course, but Alice has a way of getting what she wants. I've seen it happen more than once when Alice used her talent to convince Carlisle and Esme that they needed to do certain things to avoid a situation even when it wasn't really necessary. I've also seen her use it for selfish purposes like to get a bigger wardrobe just so she could buy even more clothes or to have a hot tub installed in her bathroom then making Carlisle pay for it even though she has plenty of money of her own."

"You're right, that is selfish and a gross misuse of her ability," Bella said looking appalled at what Jasper had told her. "I think someone needs to have a talk to her about ethics."

"It wouldn't do any good as Alice will always do what she see in her head no matter the consequences," said Jasper with a sigh. "Believe me I know Alice well and she can be a very selfish creature. Whatever I saw in her originally other than that she was very different from the environment I had been raised in is now beyond me."

"It sounds to me like she thought of you as a possession and not somebody with feelings, but as an object to be used and abused," Bella said.

"Alice wasn't all bad," said Jasper truthfully not exactly defending her for like Bella he disapproved of the way she used her talent to see the future, "and we did have some very good times, but I don't believe that's enough to make up for some of the things I saw her do out a sheer greed or how she treated not only me, but the rest of the Cullens. I believe that Rosalie was the only one who saw her for what she truly was."

"So how long do you think we have before Alice and Edward get here?" asked Bella changing the subject.

"Probably not but a few hours, I'm afraid. They should be here sometime tomorrow."

"Why is Edward coming anyway?" asked Bella curiously with a raised eyebrow. "This doesn't really involve him at all. I can see Alice coming to try to claim what she considers her property but why is Edward butting in?"

"I believe knowing Edward the way I do that he wants to come in order to prevent you from becoming a vampire. He truly believes that you will lose your soul if I am allowed to change you."

"Edward really believes that he doesn't have a soul?" Bella asked in astonishment looking at Jasper as if he was insane and Jasper couldn't blame her.

"Yes, he has always been like that or at least he has since I've known him," Jasper said as he kissed her on the nose. "It's always been a sore point with him that Carlisle changed not only him, but Esme, Rosalie and Emmett as well. He truly believes that him and the others should have been allowed to die like they would have if Carlisle hadn't interfered. I believe that he would do almost anything in order to prevent you becoming a vampire, like trying to kidnap you to convince you that he would lose his soul if I changed you."

"Maybe you better go ahead and start the change then because at least if I'm already in the throes of the transformation he can't really change it, now can he?" said Bella.

"That's not really a good idea, Bella," Jasper told her gently. "For one thing I haven't figured out how to arrange your death yet and for another we can't leave Melissa wondering what happened to you not to mention the other people that know you like your teachers and your other friends. We can't have anyone believe that you might still be alive, which humans tend to do if there is no definite proof, like a body."

"You're right, I know you are, it's just that this situation is so frustrating," Bella said getting up starting to pace, which was a better idea the trying to put her fist through a wall. "I would think they would know that nobody has a right to interfere in our lives. They have no right to try to make our decisions for us and yet they are still going to butt in. And the idea of you belonging to that bitch is as absurd as saying you own a piece of the sea or the sky. You aren't a dog or a cat or a horse, you can't really own a human being or a vampire for that matter. You can stay with another person, vampire or human because you love them, but neither do you own each other and you only put up with each other's faults or quirks because of that love."

Jasper felt the love that Bella had for him and her furiousness and frustration at this whole ridiculous situation on his behalf and he felt better about himself then he had in a long time. To have someone care about him so much may Jasper very happy because he had never had anybody love him or be upset for him ever. Not even Peter and Char had ever loved him like Bella did which only made sense as that kind love was reserved for a mated couple. Peter and Char loved him alright, but like a brother and sister. They would of course come to his defense if he needed help but it was still a different kind of love. He also realized now that the Cullens had never really loved him, although they had taken him into their family. The only exceptions to that were Emmett and Rose who loved him like a brother and it didn't seem to matter to them that he was back to drinking human blood just so long as he was happy.

"Let's go back to your apartment and you can start deciding on what you want to keep as when you are changed you will not be able to go back for your things," Jasper told her.

"There isn't much, just a charm bracelet that was given to me by my father for my 14th birthday about a year before he died, a few other pieces of jewelry that were gifts," Bella said. "Also some books, a few clothes, and a wooden figurine that in the shape of a wolf that Jake carved by hand and gave to me when I was 12. That's really about it. Oh and I have a photo album that I would like to save that has pictures of my father and my friends and and my grandmother and grandfather on my father's side of the family. Nothing else is important enough to really save. Besides we don't want to make Melissa suspicious if we take too much. She doesn't know everything I own but she will notice if major items she knows I have are missing."

"Let's get going and you can call Melissa and ask if she wants to go to a movie with us," Jasper said as he escorted Bella out the door after she had used the restroom that is.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

The next day Bella skipped her classes at Jasper suggestion as her fiancé wasn't sure if Alice or Edward would try to confront her while he wasn't there. Since she had a 4.0 average missing one day of classes wasn't going to ruin it just so long as she did the homework and besides she wouldn't be able to finish anyway if she was going to be changed in a month or so as she still had several months of classes in order to graduate.

Bella exited her apartment in order to meet Jasper outside. Jasper had been sitting watching her building all night just to make sure that Alice or Edward didn't try something underhanded like confronting and kidnapping her while he was out hunting or something. Besides there was Melissa to consider and Jasper just wasn't sure if Alice and Edward would have the good sense to not get Melissa, a human involved, when she knew nothing about vampires. Jasper would have suggested that Bella stay with him in his hotel room except for the fact that neither he or Bella wanted to make Melissa suspicious.

Just as Bella reached the car Jasper felt a surge of anger and hate that made him react instantly and he was out of the car almost tearing the door off its hinges in order to get to Bella before something happened.

"Bella! Get behind me and stay there," Jasper ordered going into major mode.

Bella instantly obeyed the command as she and Jasper had talked about this just last night and she knew that he must have felt the emotions of Alice and Edward in order for him to be acting like this.

Just as Bella got behind her fiancé both Alice and Edward emerged from alley across the street and raced towards them in full view of whoever was watching.

"Jasper!" Alice said as soon as she was close enough the anger evident on her face. "What in the world do you think you are doing? You belong to me!"

Jasper snorted, "I no more belong to you then the sky does," Jasper said repeating Bella's earlier's words. "I am nobody's pet or servant, I belong to myself and I refuse to let you use your manipulative ways to try to get me to heel like some kind of puppy dog. I really ought to thank you two, for if you hadn't cheated on me I wouldn't have left and I would never have discovered my true mate. Really you two should know better as this is not the place to have it out in full view of at least a dozen people if not more." The three vampires had been talking at a volume that no human could have heard unless they were standing no more than an inch away and yet Jasper, Edward and Alice had no trouble understanding each other because of their enhanced hearing.

"Fine!" Edward growled looking as furious as Jasper had ever seen him. "Let's go somewhere without all these humans where we can talk."

"Where I go, Bella goes," Jasper told the pair and his tone brooked no argument.

"Fine!" Alice growled looking at Bella with hate and disgust, "bring along your little girl toy then as we have a lot to discuss."

Jasper growled so ferociously at the insult, that both Edward and Alice took a step back.

"First off, you will apologize to Bella right now and treat her with respect. Secondly, the only reason I don't tear you two apart and burn the pieces is because of Carlisle and Esme, but make no mistake I could do it with no trouble as you both know about my past. Thirdly, this is the only reprieve you will get, so insult Bella again and I will tear you two apart with absolutely no regrets or feelings of remorse."

Both Edward and Alice looked furious but knew better to argue with Jasper when he was like this as he would do exactly as he said and they might have been furious, but they weren't stupid.

All four of them headed to their cars with Jasper keeping Bella behind him just in case the two tried something the whole time.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

20 minutes later three vampire and a human entered Jasper's hotel room. Jasper sat in one of the chairs and pulled his mate onto his lap and Bella didn't seem to mind as the other two vampires scared her.

"Keep your voices down," Jasper said as calmly as he could, "although the walls are thick people would still be able to hear you if you yelled and screamed and we don't want to attract attention like you two idiots did in the middle of a public street."

"Jasper, this whore is not your true mate I am," Alice said furiously. "Doesn't the last 70 years mean anything to you?"

"Don't pull that crap on me," Jasper told his former wife looking at her with such loathing that Alice actually shrank back a little. "I am not some gullible peon that you can just twist to your will. The one thing I know is that if we had been mates you never would've cheated on me with Edward and for another thing you don't treat somebody who is the other half of your soul like you treated me for the last six, almost seven decades. If you weren't treating me like some kind of third class citizen you were treating me like I was your pet to be kicked aside when you had no use for me. That isn't love, that's just possession. Also what did I tell you about insulting my fiancée? This is your last warning and I guarantee you won't get another one."

"Does the human know what she is in for?" asked Edward. "Have you told her that she will have to drink blood in order to survive? Have you told her that she will lose the soul if she allows you to change her?"

"Can I respond to that statement?" Bella asked Jasper as calmly as possible although the anger in her eyes and her emotions made her tone a lie.

"Of course, love," the Major told her feeling very proud her her for facing her two tormentors.

Bella turned to face and Edward and said, "First my name is Isabella Marie Swan, the only child of Charlie and Renée, not human said in that insulting, snide tone of voice. I'm sure you thought that I wouldn't understand that I was being insulted. Second, what gives you the right to interfere in my life? You aren't my mother or my father and you have absolutely no authority over me or have any right to tell me what to do with my life. I am a full grown, consenting adult capable of making my own decisions and that might not seem like much to you but it doesn't matter, not really. Third, yes Jasper has told me all about being a vampire and that I will have to drink blood in order to survive, but I'm the one that agreed to become one with absolutely no pressure from him at all as he allowed me to make my own decision and yes I know all about his empathic talent. Fourth I don't believe for a moment like you seem to that I am going to lose my soul when I become a vampire. Fifth Jasper is one of the most compassionate, generous, nicest men I know vampire or not and if he was a monster he would've just killed me instead of saving my life from that rapist. What this little speech is leading to is to tell you to butt out and mind your own business as you have no right to dictate anybodies actions, but your own. Sixth I will not be walked all over like a piece of carpet and have you ignore me as if I am not an intelligent human being."

Edward sat there with his mouth hanging open in astonishment as if he had not expected her to say anything at all as if she was as dumb as a rock.

Jasper chuckled maliciously at Edward's expression and sent Bella his love and his pride in her for standing up for herself.

"And as for you," said Bella turning Alice who had been silent as she watched the confrontation between Edward and Jasper's fiancé a little apprehensively. "Yes, I know all about you, and how you started sleeping with Edward practically from the moment you met him. I know for fact that if you had been Jasper's mate you wouldn't have done that as mates are very loyal to each other and love each other unconditionally. I also know that neither one of you really accepted Jasper as you didn't accept his past or his scars and since his past and scars are part of him that means that you never really accepted him at all. Also you Alice never treated Jasper as an equal at all and I think the only reason he stayed with you as long as he did was because he had nowhere else to go. Jasper is his own man and is nobody's boy toy or pet and he legally divorced your ass so you have absolutely no claim on him at all, you bitch. Did you ever feel a pull towards him that signifies a a vampires true mate? I don't think so because Jasper told me that he never felt one and if he didn't you didn't."

Both Edward and Alice sat there for a few moments in stunned silence trying not to look as if they had just not been shredded to bits by Bella's very sharp tongue.

"But think about the consequences," Edward said finally talking to Bella. "Think about the fact that you will be taking human lives."

"I have thought about it and it isn't your decision to make, it's mine," Bella told him sharply causing Edward to wince at her tone. "That man just a couple of days ago would have raped and possibly killed me without a second thought and you want to save the lives of scum like that. Maybe if that hadn't happened I would feel differently, there's no way of knowing, but even if I did decide to drink animal blood instead of human it would still be my decision and no one else's. All I know is that I love Jasper with every particle of my soul and he loves me not that it's any of your business really."

When it seemed like Bella was done speaking Jasper said, "Just know this interfering in a bond between mates is breaking several laws and you should know that. We could go to the Volturi and have you killed or hand out some other form of punishment. All Aro would have to do would be to have Marcus look at us as he can see bonds and he would immediately be able to tell that we are mates. Also you know very well that leaving a human aware of our existence without either draining them dry or turning them into one of our kind could get all of us who know about it killed as that is one of the main laws and means death to whoever is discovered breaking it as you should well know."

Edward and Alice winced at the mention of the Volturi knowing what Jasper said was true.

"They won't ever find out, if you decide not to become a vampire," Edward protested almost whining like a child now that it was obvious he was not going to get his way.

"Are you really that stupid?" asked Jasper rhetorically knowing that Edward could be very stupid on occasion. "It's more likely that the Volturi would find out then that they won't and in any case it is not your decision to make it is Bella's alone and she has already made it after full disclosure."

"And do you really believe I would be willing to remain human, aging while Jasper never does?" asked Bella. "Pretty soon I would look like his mother, then his grandmother. Soon after that it would only be a few short years before I died. Technically, I am already three years older than him as I'm 23."

Alice was silent for a long time, but finally said in a small voice, "You're right I don't have any right interfere in Jasper's life. He did divorce me and with good reason I can now admit. I was just so furious when I had a vision of you two, furious because he had found somebody else and looked so blissfully happy while I still haven't found my true mate. I thought I could just show up and claim him as mine and he would take me back, but I should have known better as Jasper has never been one to let somebody walk all over him. He put up with a lot of crap over the years not just from me, but from Edward as well."

"Alice what he saying?" asked Edward furiously in astonished surprise.

"I'm saying that my visions tell me that they belong together and all you have to do is use your ability to read my mind and you'll see what I say is true. I'm not saying that I will not always love you," Alice told Jasper, "but I know now that this was meant to be and that the two of us have different paths to take."

"You're forgiven," Jasper told Alice once he checked her emotions to make sure she was being truthful.

"If Jasper forgives you I do too," Bella said. "But I will warn you now that my generosity only extends so far and that if you ever try to interfere in our relationship again I will have no problem with tearing you apart and burning the pieces or letting Jasper do it."

"I understand," said Alice knowing that Bella's threat was real as she had checked the future and had seen one where she had tried to break them up and she had ended up as a pile of ashes so she had no doubt that Bella would follow through on her threat if forced to and not feel the least bit guilty about it afterwards.

"What about you Edward? Are you ready to go back to the Cullens and stay out of our lives?" asked Jasper of his former brother.

"No I'm not," Edward said sounding like a rebellious child who had been told no dessert before dinner. "I am determined to find a way to get you change your mind, Bella."

Bella sighed and rolled her eyes feeling exasperated.

"Edward, you are to stubborn for your own good. You will not accept Bella's word that she has had full disclosure—even though you can read her mind and mine to find out what we are telling you is true—and that she's the one that made the decision to be turned into a vampire. Also you will not accept that it is against the law for a human to know about us and that it would mean death when the Volturi found out. You are so determined to be right that you can't see the forest for the trees. Know this though, you come anywhere near Bella, if you hurt her in anyway whatsoever, I don't care whether it is physically, mentally, emotionally or any other way I will tear you apart without a qualm and burn the pieces afterwards. I don't even care that it will upset Carlisle and Esme because protecting the woman I love is more important than anything else—period. You know my past, so you should know what I am capable of when I am furious, so—don't go there. Now get out," Jasper ordered pointing at the door his expression so stormy that it should have told anyone that he was only holding onto his temper by the thinnest of threads.

When the two had left Bella cuddled into Jasper's chest with a sigh. "Why do I think that Edward is going to be trouble?"

"Because you are incredibly intelligent and perceptive?" Jasper suggested kissing her forehead. He shook his head, "This isn't over as I know Edward and he is as stubborn as the day is long. I'm afraid Carlisle spoiled him too much and he is used to getting his own way."

"So what are we going to do? I don't dare go back to my apartment as it would be way too easy to catch me alone," Bella said.

"You could stay here with me?" Jasper suggested.

"But what about my classes?" Bella asked.

"Your classes don't really matter anymore not with the half crazy vampire out there just waiting for you to be alone and besides I'm going to be changing soon so you won't have a chance to finish anyway."

"You're right, I know you are, but I hate to think of all the hard work I put into getting good grades and all the studying I did only to learn that it was all for nothing."

"You can go back to college in a few decades after you have time to get used to being a vampire that is and also used to being around humans."

"Alright," Bella agreed knowing that Jasper was right—as usual although she was still worried about the Edward Situation.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

It was only a week later that the Edward Situation came to a head. Bella was walking to her apartment building to get some clean clothes while Jasper waited for her in his car down the street when Edward came out of apparently nowhere and grabbed Bella before she could get inside.

"You are coming with me and I will convince you not to become a vampire if it's the last thing I do."

"You will release her this very instant, Edward Anthony Mason Cullen," Jasper told his former brother his voice hard, his eyes black with rage, his whole body as tense as a coiled spring. All in all he looked like a lion getting ready to strike and kill his prey as he was all lean muscles and ferociousness.

"You have just one chance to release her but if you don't do it in the next 30 seconds you have signed your own death warrant. I did warn you, you know and yet you just wouldn't give up."

Edward looked from Jasper to Bella then back again. Jasper didn't say anything at all and when the 30 seconds were up Jasper didn't even have to move from where he was standing to send out emotions of fear, pain and rage so strong that Edward as well as Bella were on their knees whimpering with their arms around his middle in seconds. Although Bella felt the emotions that Jasper sent out it also didn't prevent her from getting to her feet despite the feelings of fear, pain and rage and running to Jasper where he immediately took her in his arms checking her for injuries. "Are you okay?" asked the Major as Jasper had been in that mode ever since Edward had taken Bella hostage.

"I'm just fine, Major," Bella replied giving him a kiss somehow knowing it was the Major she was talking to and not Jasper. "He didn't do more than scare me."

"He is still going to get what's coming to him as after all I did warn him and I don't give warnings just to hear the sound of my own voice."

"I won't say he doesn't deserve it and I won't say I feel sorry for him but his death just seems so pointless as the whole situation could've been avoided if he had only listened to what we were telling him."

"Bella, are you alright?" asked Melissa as she ran out of the apartment from where she had been watching the confrontation from the window.

"I'm fine Lissa," Bella told her friend not moving from Jasper's arms.

"What in the hell just happened?" asked Melissa.

"It's really very simple, Lissa," Bella told her friend thinking quickly. "This is Jasper's brother and he and Edward are always competing. Edward got so insanely jealous that Jasper had found someone that he really loved that he decided it was a good idea to kidnap me to try to convince me to go out with him and abandon Jasper." Bella was very proud of myself for coming up with such a reasonable explanation on the spur of the moment.

"But why is he suddenly kneeling in pain?" asked Melissa.

You are way too observant, for your own good, Bella thought again having to think quickly. "That was me," Bella finally said, "I stepped on his foot and then elbowed him in the gut."

"Wow! I'm really proud of you Bella. This ought to teach the creep to try to kidnap you. You must have been pretty fast as I didn't even see you move," Melissa said not paying attention to where she was walking and walked right by Edward who lunged at her grabbing her just like he had Bella. Edward's actions happened so fast that not even Jasper had a chance to respond and now they had another hostage situation.

"Let me go you creep," Melissa yelled stepping on a Edward's foot and then elbowing him in the gut. Neither action had any effect except that Melissa felt as if she had broken her instep when she had stepped on Edward's foot and her elbow as well when she had elbowed him in the gut.

"What are you made of, stone?" asked Melissa knowing better than to try that again since her boot and elbow were still throbbing.

"You got that right," Edward said his amber eyes looking insanely crazy. "I am stone because I am a vampire."

Melissa laughed hysterically even though Edward had his arm around her neck. "You are crazy. Vampires don't exist. They are nothing but made-up tales that somebody created in order to make money."

"Vampires are real as I am one and so is Jasper," Edward said, not seeming to realize what he was saying or maybe he just didn't care. "I just have to convince Bella to not become one as she will lose her soul if she does."

Melissa laughed as she thought Edward was crazy and it didn't seem to matter that she was being held hostage, although she was well aware that she was in a dangerous situation and could possibly lose her life if something wasn't done.

While Melissa was distracting Edward, Jasper made his move and was on this brother in seconds moving at the speed of a bullet, which would have been impossible if he had been human. Before Edward knew it he had been forced to let go of Melissa and Jasper had his arms pinned behind his back in a grip so tight that there was no chance that Edward would be able to get out of it as Jasper was a much stronger vampire then Edward as he had been a farmboy and then a solider before he was changed and that meant that he had built up muscles doing farmwork and fighting, which had then stayed with him after he had been turned into a vampire. Edward, on the other hand, had still been in high school and the son of well off parents which did not build up muscles like farmwork and fighting did.

"Melissa, I'm really sorry about this, but I'm afraid you'll have to come along with us," Jasper told Bella's friend gently. After all this whole situation was hardly her fault, although she should have had the sense to stay inside until they were gone, but then again she had no idea that Edward was a vampire and would be able to move so fast or that his elbowing him in the gut and stepping on his foot would have no effect at all except to make her feel as if she had broken a few of her bones.

Bella looked in Jasper her face stricken but she didn't say anything as she knew that Jasper was only doing what was necessary in order to protect the secret that vampires were real.

"Why?" asked Melissa her confusion evident. "Why do I need to come with you?"

"I will explain as soon as we get someplace more private."

"Come on Melissa, you can trust Jasper, he won't hurt you," Bella consoled her friend.

Melissa still looking confused nodded and followed Jasper and Bella to Jasper's car. Jasper opened the trunk and put Edward inside closing it quickly.

"Won't your brother suffocate?" asked Melissa sounding merely curious and not at all worried about that possibility as she watched what Jasper was doing.

"No," Jasper told her a little shortly, "we aren't going that far and there's plenty of air in the trunk for the distance we are driving."

Jasper opened the door for Bella and Melissa and both young women climbed in.

"So why did I need to come with you? Why did your brother attack Bella? And how did you move so fast? Moving faster than a speeding bullet should be impossible for anyone who isn't a comic book character that is," Melissa asked as soon as Jasper had backed out in was on the road.

"Can't you wait until we get back to Jasper's hotel room before you begin asking questions?" Bella asked exasperated with her friend's impatience.

Melissa didn't look in the least offended at Bella's words and simply replied, "No."

Jasper laughed, a good hearty laugh at Melissa's response and then said, "I suppose we could start the explanations now. Melissa you told Edward that you didn't believe in vampires is that correct?" Jasper asked.

"At the time I said that it was true," Melissa said looking thoughtful.

"Is it still true?" asked Jasper.

"I don't know now. I would have said yes it was what I still believed, if I hadn't seen you moving faster than any human should be able to move even with adrenaline pumping through their system. I don't want to believe that vampires are real, but on the other hand I stepped on Edward's foot with a high-heeled shoe and he should've been in considerable pain from that move alone and yet I also elbowed him in the gut and all I got for my trouble was what felt like a broken instep and elbow as it felt as if I had hit stone."

"In a way that is exactly what you did," Jasper told her gently.

"Are you telling me that you are a vampire? And that Edward wasn't just talking out of his nose?" Melissa ask both questions in rapid succession.

Bella and Jasper laughed at Melissa's rather colorful turn of phrase but both nodded in confirmation.

"So what happens to me now? If I believe you that is?" Melissa asked as calmly as she could. "Well there is an easy way to prove my words," Jasper said, "although it will have to wait until we get back to my hotel room. As for what happens now you have two choices: I can either drain you dry or I can change you into a vampire at the same time I change Bella."

"You're going to change Bella into a vampire? Why?" asked Melissa and surprise.

"Well one reason is that when I saved her life from that rapist I showed her what I was and according to vampire law no human is allowed to know about vampires and that they really exist. The only choices after that are the same ones I gave you just a minute ago. The second reason is that I love her. Normally I never interfere when there is a crime going on right under my nose—well unless I need to feed—but I felt pulled to Bella immediately when I heard her cries."

"What do you mean pulled to her?" asked Melissa curiously.

"One of the things about the vampire race is that some vampires at least have what we call a mate. Most of the time when a vampire finds a mate the other person is also a vampire, but occasionally that person is human, although that is rarer. When I heard Bella's cries there was something about her voice that just drew me to her like a magnet and as soon as I looked into her eyes I knew immediately that I had finally found my true mate. A vampire always feels a pull from within their bodies in the direction of the person that is supposed to be their mate, but only after they have met for the first time. Also Bella has admitted to feeling a very faint tug in my direction although it is considerably weaker because she is still human. When she is a vampire that tug will be just as strong as the one I have."

"It's true, Lissa," Bella told her friend speaking for the first time in quite a while. "I immediately felt as if I had known Jasper for years instead of just a few minutes the first time I met him after he had saved me from that rapist and that feeling has only grown stronger in the week or so I've known him."

"We're here," said Jasper pulling into a parking space outside of the hotel he was staying in. "Why don't we finish explanations inside."

"Okay," said Melissa calmer, then she had any right to be considering that she was in the presence of blood drinker. But Jasper, if that was his real name, hadn't hurt her so far so Melissa assumed that he had no plans to drink her blood or he would already have done so.

"Are we going to leave Edward in the trunk?" asked Bella as Edward continued to bang on the trunk lid causing dents and bulges in it as he did so.

"Yes," Jasper said with an evil chuckle as he'd looked at where Edward was imprisoned. "It's really the safest place for him at the moment."

"Won't the banging make people suspicious and won't they call the police?" asked Melissa.

"No," Jasper replied with another chuckle. "One of the reasons I chose this hotel is it is very discreet and very private. I paid the concierge quite a bit of money to be left alone and not be bothered and of course that includes my car. I like my privacy, so even if any of the staff notices anything they've been paid to keep their mouths shut."

"But what about the other residents?" asked Melissa.

"There aren't very many other residents right now," Jasper replied matter-of-factly, "not only is this hotel very expensive and exclusive it is also the off-season for the tourist trade so most of the wing that I am in is empty, although there are some people of course, but none in the rooms on either side of me or across the hall."

"Money will get you just about anything won't it," Melissa commented dryly as the three of them entered the elevator.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

Once they were in Jasper's hotel room Melissa said, "So prove to me that what I saw wasn't just an optical illusion or my imagination working overtime."

"As you wish," Jasper said. "What kind of proof can I give you?"

"Well..." Melissa said considering her options.

"Jasper, all you have to do is take off your sunglasses," Bella told him gently. "I would think your eyes would be proof enough."

"His eyes?" Melissa asked confused. "Why would his eyes be proof?"

"Because Melissa, Jasper's eyes are blood red because of the human blood he drinks," Bella told her friend quietly.

Jasper did as Bella requested and Melissa looked into his blood red eyes. She was quite sure that eyes as red as fresh blood could not be achieved with contact lenses.

"You're right the eyes are proof enough," Melissa said as calmly as possible. "I don't know of anything that could make somebody's eyes blood red, not contact lenses or anything else."

"Well that was easier than I expected," Jasper commented with just a trace of humor in his voice. "And you are taking the fact that I am a vampire a lot more calmly than I expected you to," he added after a moment.

"What can I say except that I trust Bella, 100%. She's never steered me wrong yet in the five years we've known each other. So where do we go from here? I'm assuming you're not getting ready to kill me because I know your secret or I figure you would've done it already."

"Well first, why don't you ladies order room service, as I'm sure you're both hungry," Jasper said.

"What order room service in a place like this?" asked Melissa her astonishment plain. "I'm sure their food cost a mint or more."

"Don't worry about that," Jasper told her. "I'll take care of the tab."

"No, no I can't have you do that," Melissa protested.

"Just accept it," Bella advised her friend with a dazzling smile in Jasper's direction. "I'm sure you'll discover pretty soon that Jasper can be as stubborn as a mule. It's just easier to give in and let him have his way then to argue with him. Besides he has plenty of money. Trust me, he can afford it."

"Well okay," Melissa said finally giving in with good grace considering the situation.

The two young women ordered their food and while they were waiting for it to come Melissa asked, "So you said on the ride over here that I had a choice, is that correct?"

"If you mean that I said you had a choice to either be changed into a vampire or be drained dry of blood until you are nothing but a corpse then you would be correct," Jasper told her bluntly both women wincing at his matter-of-fact tone. "Personally I wish this situation had never come up. It's not that I don't like you Melissa, I do, quite a bit actually, but the fact of the matter is that I was going to change Bella into a vampire in about three weeks because once a vampire's found a mate they can't live without them and she agreed to it in any case. We were going to fake her death and then I was going to transform her into one of my kind but that's all shot now and I will have two newborns to deal with instead of one. Well, I will if you decide to be changed that is," Jasper quickly amended.

"What's the difference?" asked Melissa curiously.

"Well for one thing newborns are very volatile and hard to deal with for the first year of their existence, sometimes longer and having one to deal is hard enough, but dealing with two will be even harder."

"Why are newborns, as you call them, so difficult to deal with and control?" asked Melissa practically radiating curiosity.

"Simply because when you're first transformed into a vampire your body goes through a lot of changes and it takes a long time to get used to that. You go from using only five or ten percent of your brain to using a hundred percent and that is what mostly makes a newborn to react on instinct for the first three months. They're also other changes that your body goes through, for one thing your skin gets harder than diamond and you become practically indestructible and there are only a couple of things that can injure one of our kind. Also your hearing and eyesight gets enhanced so that you will be able to hear and see at great distances. You'll be able to run so fast that all the humans would seem to be at a standstill without getting out of breath as you don't technically need to breathe. You will also be able to jump great distances without any kind of mechanical help because as a vampire you'll be much stronger then a human. In fact that's one thing I'm going to have to help you with and that's to control your strength because if I don't you'll break things every time you touch something, turn it to powder."

"Sounds too good to be true," Melissa commented. "What are the downsides well besides the drinking blood thing."

"Well there are a couple of downsides," Jasper told her. "First and foremost is the drinking blood thing as you just said, but also vampires don't age from the time they are changed and while that can be a good thing it can also be a curse. I was changed to 20 and that is the age I have remained ever since I was transformed."

"Well I'm 22, so you're telling me I will look 22 forever?" asked Melissa.

"Yes," Jasper said.

"How can that be a curse?" asked Melissa, curiously looking ecstatic that her boobs would never start to sag, or she would never get wrinkles, or liver spots or any other disease that came with getting old.

"Think about it for a minute and tell me that you can think of at least one reason that not aging could be considered a curse," Jasper commanded her.

Melissa did as ordered and thought about it for a while tapping her chin her expression distant. Finally her expression cleared and she said, "I suppose you would consider not aging a curse if you made friends that were human and then those friends aged and died while you stayed the same."

"Most vampires don't have any friends that are human, especially close friends," Jasper told her. "Not only do most humans avoid our kind instinctively because they sense we are predators, but most vampires don't bother to make friends with humans because they consider them a source of food and nothing more. Also vampires need to move around fairly often also because of that not aging thing, before people get suspicious."

"I would think even vampires would get lonely since they were once humans and humans can definitely get lonely if they don't have any friends or family or a boyfriend, girlfriend or something," Melissa said.

"I'm afraid that is one of the downsides of being a vampire and that is not having very many friends except for others of their kind of course which is why most vampires live in covens and are friends only with the other vampires in that coven. There are, of course, exceptions to every rule," Jasper said just is the doorbell to the suite rang telling them that their food was here.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

"Did you know that Jasper has already proposed to me and we are going to get married pretty soon," Bella told her friend as they were eating their food.

"Are you serious?" asked Melissa in surprised astonishment. When Melissa saw that her friend was indeed serious she asked, "Isn't it a little soon to be thinking about marriage considering you haven't known each other all that long?"

"Not really," Jasper told her looking comfortable and relaxed as he sat in a chair in the sitting area and watched the two young woman eat their meal. "When a vampire finds a mate it is irreversible and forever. Our species never falls out of love, like humans do, so long as that vampire has found their true mate, which you can tell by the pull I told you about earlier. It won't matter if we are together 100, 500, or 10,000 years, I will love Bella just as much then as I do now and vice versa of course. Also the longer we are together the deeper our feelings for each other will become until we are practically one person instead of two."

"That is so sweet," Melissa practically cooed. "And so romantic."

"I'm glad you think so," Bella told her friend with a laugh.

"So are you going to show me the ring he got you?" asked Melissa after taking several bites of food.

"Sure, after we've finished eating," Bella said as she ate her food savoring it since it was one of the last meals she would ever have as pretty soon she would no longer be human and therefore unable to eat human food or if she did have to in order to keep up appearances it would taste like crap and would have have to be thrown back up afterwards.

"I'll get it," Jasper said as he got up from where he was sitting and went to get the ring out of the drawer he had been keeping it in.

"Why does Jasper have your ring?" asked Melissa confused.

"He's just been keeping it for me as it's not like I could wear it and not have people ask questions about where I got such an expensive ring or asked who had given it to me. Also I was afraid of wearing it on a chain around my neck, afraid it would get yanked off or fall off or something and I would lose it, so it was just safer to have Jasper keep it for me until we're actually ready to get married."

"Where did you buy it?" asked Melissa.

"Tiffany's," Bella answered and was not surprised by Melissa's gasp of astonishment and awe as Tiffany's was a very well-known jewelry store as they had been around for almost a hundred and seventy-five years. Since 1837 actually.

"You are so lucky," Melissa said enthusiastically.

Both girls finished their food in silence and as soon as they were done they started putting the dishes outside the door for the employees to come pick up as it was the custom.

As soon as they had done that Jasper came over with the ring box that held Bella's engagement ring in his hand and opened the lid so that Melissa could see the beautiful band that lay within.

"Wow!" Melissa's exclaimed when she saw her friend's engagement band. "That is some ring. It must've almost cost you the moon," Melissa told Jasper.

"You have no idea," Bella muttered still sounding a little upset about the cost of the ring.

"It doesn't matter, it was the one that Bella wanted even though she almost didn't admit to me because of the price. I have plenty of money I assure you as I've always invested whatever money I get wisely and well and I've been around a long time. By the way there is really something I need to talk to you about, Melissa," Jasper told her thinking to get such a prickly subject as money out of the way.

"What's that?" Melissa inquired.

"Well as I told Bella it is the custom of my kind to give a newborn vampire the money to get started in their new existence. This is the responsibility of the newborn's creator, which in this case is going to be me, so I just wanted to tell you that I am going to open several accounts in the the name of Melissa Whitlock and put $5 million into them."

"$5 million," Melissa stuttered so shocked that Bella just had to laugh. "Are you insane that amount of money is obscene."

"Not really," Jasper said calmly having been expecting an argument, "not when you could live to be 10,000 years old or more. Also I will teach both you and Bella how to invest so that you always have plenty."

Melissa thought about that then decided that Jasper was right as she could live for centuries and even vampires needed money. "You're right," Melissa admitted out loud. "I thank you for your generosity."

"You're more than welcome," Jasper told her reaching over and giving her hand a squeeze surprised that she wasn't going to argue about the money. On the other hand maybe she had decided to be practical and had thought about that fact that she couldn't live without money as a vampire even if she wouldn't need to eat. "In a way you finding out about vampires is a good thing, as it will give Bella somebody to spend time with besides me, but on the other hand it isn't something I wanted to happen as I was really hoping to keep you out of it but thanks to that idiot Edward that just didn't happen."

"I believe I understand," Melissa said and Jasper could tell that she really did. "So what are you going to do with Edward now that you brought the subject up?"

"Oh he's going to die of course," Jasper told Melissa with an absolutely evil and vindictive smirk.

"Is that really necessary?" Melissa asked quite innocently shivering a little at Jasper's expression even though she knew it wasn't directed at her.

Both Bella and Jasper laughed.

"What's so funny?" asked Melissa offended.

"Sorry," Jasper apologized not mentioning Melissa's reaction to his expression. Actually he was surprised that she wasn't running for the hills as he knew he could be quite frightening even when he wasn't trying to be. "We weren't really laughing at you per se just at your innocence."

"What do you mean?" asked Melissa curious.

"Here, come sit down on the couch and I will explain why it is necessary that Edward has to die."

Melissa did as she was asked and sat in one of the chairs opposite of him.

"First off you must know Melissa that vampires are or at least can be a very vindictive race. Most of our kind can hold a grudge until the end their existences. Although normally I am very forgiving when Edward tried to hurt Bella, well, let's just say it's not something I can ever forgive. As I explained earlier finding a mate is irreversible and forever and that makes mates very protective of each other, some would even say grossly overprotective if not for the fact..."

"...If not for the fact that if one mate dies the other always follows," Bella told her friend when it looked like Jasper couldn't continue because it pained him to do so.

Melissa thought about that for a few moments then nodded. "I see. Survival is a strong instinct, correct?"

Jasper studied her and could tell that she really did understand what would happen if one mate was to die. "Yes, I can see that you do understand."

"I do, although it's hard to imagine being so closely linked to someone that if anything were to happen to them then I would die as well."

"In any case what Edward did went against every vampire law in existence and I had a hard time not just destroying him right there, but I couldn't do it in a neighborhood full of humans even though most of them were either at work, having lunch or sleeping."

"How can you destroy a vampire when as you said they are practically indestructible?" asked Melissa.

"There are several ways to do it," Jasper assured her. "Our fingernails are one of the few things that can cut through a vampire's skin and we are strong enough to pull them limb from limb. After we do that we just build a fire and burn the pieces to ash. Using our teeth is the only other way that I know of that can damage one of our kind."

Melissa shuddered at Jasper's very realistic description although she supposed she couldn't really blame him for his vindictiveness as Edward had tried to hurt the woman he loved, just because he didn't want her to become a vampire.

"So when are you going to get rid of Edward and can I watch?" asked Bella in glee as Edward had after all tried to hurt her just because he didn't want her to become a vampire, which was really none of his concern.

"Well first I need to inform his father Carlisle about what I am going to do. Carlisle will not be happy as he loves Edward like a son and he was the first human that he ever changed into a vampire, but when I explain the situation he'll have no choice but to go along with it as Edward did break several vampire laws. Besides Carlisle knows very well that I could go to our rulers, the Volturi about what Edward did and they would probably vote in our favor. Not only did Edward attack another vampire's mate, he also revealed that vampires are real to another human and that second thing alone would mean death.

"Isn't that well...a little harsh?" asked Melissa.

"Not really and you'll know why if you think about it for a minute," Jasper told her.

Melissa fell silent and was deep in thought and when she finally looked up it was more than 10 minutes later. "It's necessary because if you didn't keep your existence secret it would be like the Salem Witch Trials all over again, right?"

"That's part of it certainly," Jasper agreed. "The other part of it is is that it would be much harder for my kind to hunt and feed when they needed to without humans being on the alert. It's true that vampires are top of the food chain and no mere human can hurt us but that doesn't mean we want people to be aware that we are real. Most of us either live very solitary lives or in relatively small covens and if humans were aware we existed that life would disappear. We would be hunted and eventually the humans would figure out a way to destroy us. I'm sure you know that your species can be devilishly inventive when it has to be."

"Yes," said Melissa slowly thinking about what Jasper had said. "That's very true that we humans can be very inventive and you're more than likely right about the fact that eventually somebody would find a way to kill your kind."

"Exactly," Jasper said. "It is better all-around that we remain nothing more then legends."

"I've been meaning to ask, but got sidetracked, why did you say you want to open up several accounts in the name of Melissa Whitlock, when my last name is Benson?" asked Melissa.

"Ah, I was wondering if you would catch that or not," Jasper said smiling at Melissa. "The simple reason I said Whitlock is that in a way I am adopting you into my coven or family if you prefer. The other reason is that even though we are going to fake yours and Bella's deaths somebody might still look for you not believing that you had died so it is just better if you use my last name. Vampires need to change their last names every few years anyway if they are around humans at all frequently."

"But what about documentation?" asked Melissa not very agitated at losing her last name. "You know birth certificate, driver's license, passport, social security number all that kind of thing."

"Don't worry I know how to produce that kind of thing and how to hack in to the appropriate systems," Jasper told Melissa with a wink then grew serious. "It's really unnecessary to learn how to do that kind of thing if you interact with humans unless you want to pay somebody crooked a great deal of money to do it for you. It's not that I don't have money, but it is just better that you do it yourself because even if the human you hire doesn't know what you are they could still blab to somebody and that could cause problems that we don't need. Besides if the Volturi ever found out...well let's just say you wouldn't like what they would do to everybody involved."

"I can just imagine, I don't need the details," Melissa said shuddering a little.

Jasper laughed a genuine happy laugh which Melissa got the impression didn't happen very often. "Well Bella did warn me that you had a very vivid imagination."

"Oh, she did, did she?" Melissa mock growled taking a swipe at her friend who was sitting beside her on the couch.

"I was only telling him the truth, Lissa," Bella laughed at her friend not in least offended at her friend's words or actions. "You know very well that you have too much imagination for your own good sometimes."

"Fine," Melissa said pretending to sulk, "you're right, but did you have to tell him that?"

"I just thought I should warn him about your overactive imagination that's all," Bella said with another laugh. "In fact I've always thought that you should be a writer, with an imagination like yours. I believe you would be very good at it."

"Hm, now there's an idea," Melissa said looking truly thoughtful her playful mood gone as fast as it had come. "I'd rather be a painter though as I am taking some art classes and am quite good if I do say so myself."

"Oh no, I just created a monster," Bella said teasingly. "Me and my big mouth."

Jasper watched the two young women tease each other and was very pleased. He had a feeling that the two young women would change his life quite a lot. He knew very well that he needed more laughter and lightheartedness as his life had been very grim for a long time. In fact he could never remember feeling this happy, not since he had been human anyway. Ever since he was changed into a vampire by Maria his life had been just a series of grim and mostly unhappy decades. Not even living with the Cullens had made him this happy, although there had been some moments of sheer happiness living with them, they had been all too few and hadn't lasted long at all. He had a very strong feeling that these two young women were going to change his life and not only change it for the better, but probably turn it upside down and he found that he didn't really mind that at all and in fact was looking forward to it.

I should have necklaces is of the Whitlock crest made for them, Jasper mused to himself as he watched the two girls chat. Giving them the Whitlock crest would let other vampires know that they belonged to a specific coven and would stop them from being harassed or bothered, mostly anyway. It wouldn't stop everything he knew, but should cut down on other vampires messing with them if they were on their own since he had quite a fearsome reputation. Most vampires didn't want to mess with anybody that belonged to him or who were part of his coven.

Suddenly his phone rang and Jasper checked the caller ID before he answered it. "Yes, Carlisle?" asked Jasper listening for a moment and then replied his voice almost a growl. "That asshole you call your son, attacked my Bella—who is my true mate by the way—just because he was so determined to convince her not to become a vampire and no he didn't hurt her, but only because he didn't get a chance. If that wasn't bad enough he also held Bella's roommate and best friend hostage after I had already taken him down and then just causally revealed that he was a vampire."

Jasper listened for a moment to what ever Carlisle was saying the replied, "No it doesn't matter that at first she didn't believe it, because she saw me move at vampire speed and she would have eventually figured it out. You know the laws just as well as I do and you know very well what the Volturi would do to any vampire that revealed that they exist and then didn't either kill the human or change them."

Jasper listened in silence for a minute then growled almost in a fury, "No I am not willing to let bygones be bygones and spare his miserable life. I let it go when I discovered that he and my former wife were cheating on me with each other, but attacking Bella like he did is not something I can forget and forgive. You know very well what would happen to me if anything were to happen to Bella, since she is my mate."

Jasper listened to whatever Carlisle was saying again then replied, "What would you do if Esme was in a similar situation and somebody had attacked her?"

Jasper listened for a moment then said, "I realize that you don't believe in violence and that you are a pacifist, but you should know after all your centuries of living that violence has its place and sometimes is the only answer like in this case."

Jasper was silent again as he listened to Carlisle's reply then said, "No I don't believe that Edward will give up if I let him live. You know very well how stubborn he can be and how he always has to be right about everything. For as long as I've known him he's never admitted that he made a mistake, even when it was obvious that he had. Maybe he would be a better person if he knew how to admit that he was wrong."

Jasper listened again then sighed in exasperation and replied, "I'm done arguing with you, Carlisle. This conversation is over. Don't ever expect to see your son again. I am truly sorry for this, but Edward went too far and maybe eventually you will realize that. Letting him live after what he did would be like letting cancer grow in a human instead of trying to eradicate it."

Jasper turned off his phone just stopping himself from pushing the button so hard that he broke it.

"That man can be so exasperating," Jasper muttered trying to calm himself down so that he wouldn't hurt either girl by accident just because he was annoyed. It was hardly their fault for what Edward had done or for his exasperation with Carlisle.

"Are you okay, Jasper?" Bella inquired getting up from where she was sitting and gently giving him a hug. Jasper calmed down immediately, the Major receding from his eyes at the loving touch of his mate. Bella didn't seem to fear him even though he could hurt her very easily considering she was still human at the moment. Maybe she somehow sensed that he would never hurt her. Melissa stayed back and just watched them, which Jasper thought showed good sense on her part as unlike Bella he could easily hurt her as she wasn't his mate.

"I'm fine," Jasper said finally having calmed down considerably. "Carlisle can just be very frustrating to deal with sometimes."

"I take it from the conversation that he objected to you burning Edward?" asked Melissa speaking for the first time.

"Yes I'm afraid he did, not that I expected anything different," Jasper said and sighed running a hand through his hair in a very humanlike gesture. "I'm not really surprised if you want to know the truth, as I'm sure Alice had a vision and told Carlisle that Edward was going to be permanently killed. Both Carlisle and Esme are pacifists and Edward was the first person Carlisle changed into a vampire when he was dying of the Spanish influenza in 1918. Carlisle truly does think of Edward like a son. I'm afraid he doesn't believe in violence, not even when it is obvious that the situation requires it. Sometimes trying to find a peaceful solution to a situation is impossible simply because there isn't one. I have nothing against peaceful solutions you understand, but I also know that sometimes violence is the only answer."

"How did you know that Edward would keep trying to change Bella's mind?" asked Melissa. "You told Carlisle as much on the phone. I believe your exact words were: "No I don't believe that Edward will give up if I let him live. You know very well how stubborn he can be and how he always has to be right about everything. For as long as I've known him he's never admitted that he made a mistake, even when it was obvious that he had. Maybe he would be a better person if he knew how to admit that he was wrong."

"That's exactly it, word for word," Jasper said somewhat astonished. "You must have a near perfect memory in order to be able to remember that down to the letter."

"I do actually, it's eidetic," Melissa admitted somewhat shyly as a lot of people looked at her as if she was some kind of weirdo when she admitted that she never forgot anything she heard, tasted, touched, or saw.

"I've heard some humans have that talent," Jasper told her. "Just so you know all vampires have eidetic memories and remember everything they have ever heard, seen, smelled, or felt, so really it is not all that strange."

Melissa looked relieved at Jasper's words and realized that she wasn't going to be looked at like she was some kind of freak just because her brain had a strange twist to it. It was an unusual talent, very unusual, actually, Melissa admitted if only to herself. Only 3% of the human population had it worldwide.

"We will never tease you for any new abilities that you develop," Jasper told Melissa gently in an almost fatherly tone. "Some vampires have unusual talents like me for example."

"What do you mean?" asked Melissa, curiously.

"I'm an empath, I can sense emotions, sadness, joy, hate, love, pleasure, happiness and any others you can think of. Not only can I feel them I can affect other people's emotions as well and it has come in very useful for me ever since I was turned into a vampire."

"Wow that sounds like a very useful talent to have," Melissa said admiringly.

"It is useful," Jasper admitted, "but it can also be a pain in the ass. I sense people's emotions all the time as I can't turn it off and sometimes I just wish that I didn't have the talent. On the other hand it has saved my life on numerous occasions. Just imagine what it is like when you sense the emotions of somebody having or just had sex for example, or hate or anger."

"So that's how you took Edward down without even touching him," Melissa said, admiringly.

"How did you know that?" ask Jasper in surprise.

"I was watching from the window of the apartment," Melissa admitted.

"Then you should have known better than to come outside until we were gone," Jasper scolded her sternly.

"What can I say except that one of my many faults besides my vivid imagination is that I am as curious as a cat," Melissa admitted without even a hint of shame unaware that Jasper had just described her like that to Bella after he had met her for the first time. "I was curious as how you had taken down Edward so easily when you hadn't even touched him and I definitely hadn't seen Bella make a move to knee him where it hurt. Even though she told me that she had stepped on his foot and elbowed him in the gut." Melissa looked at her friend and her expression said quite clearly that she had known she was being lied to at the time.

Bella blushed with shame and looked at her feet. "It was necessary, but I should have known you would see through my story."

"You bet," Melissa told her friend cheekily. "Now I know why you didn't take any action in order to get away from him."

"Because I knew better," Bella said dryly the blush just starting to fade from her cheeks. "I knew that if I kneed him like I wanted to I would quite possibility break my kneecap or my elbow if I decided to give him one in the stomach, as a vampire's skin is as hard as stone."

"Well that explains why I felt like I had broken my instep and my elbow when I did those moves on him," Melissa said as she rubbed her elbow absently in remembrance of what had happened just a few short hours ago.

"That was very brave of you," Jasper told her. "I know you didn't know that Edward was a vampire but that doesn't mean that you couldn't've been hurt even if your attacker had been human."

"Melissa has always had more courage then sense," Bella commented with a wicked gleam of humor in her warm brown eyes.

"What is this, pick on your best friend day?" asked Melissa in a joking tone of voice her gray eyes sparkling with laughter.

"Of course it is, but then isn't every day?" asked Bella rhetorically.

"Oh, you are in for it now," Melissa told her friend. "As they say up north where I come from paybacks are hell."

"Oh I'm so scared," said Bella not looking scared in the least but trying to contain her laughter instead.

"Now ladies let's get along shall we?" asked Jasper also trying to contain his laughter although his red eyes were sparkling giving him away. "What do you say about going to take care of Edward before I have to do more than get a few dents fixed in my car."

"Sure!" both girls answered enthusiastically.

"What kind of damage could Edward really do to your car, well besides put a few dents in the trunk that is," asked Melissa, curiously.

"He can throw out the shocks for one just with all his furious banging," Jasper told. "Vampires are quite strong and conceivably he could even eventually escape, although that will take him a while probably even a couple of days if I let him live that long."

"Which you aren't going to do," Bella said smirking somewhat evilly as she took Jasper's arm in hers as the three of them entered the elevator and headed to the garage.

"Of course not," Jasper said calmly, "If he did escape that would just be asking for some kind of future trouble from him. As a whole vampires are a very unforgiving species. Do one wrong and they will remember it forever and want to get revenge. In fact if we hadn't been in the middle of a public street I would have torn Edward apart and just put those parts in the trunk as it would've been much simpler and would not have required having to have the dents beaten out of my car. Not to mention the possibility of having to get the shocks fixed."

"How can anyone live with being torn apart?" asked Melissa as she shuddered at Jasper's rather grim description.

"Trust me a vampire can be taken apart and live to tell the tale just so long as they aren't burned that is. Vampires burn easily once you throw their limbs onto the flames they will be nothing but ashes in a matter of minutes. It wouldn't be more than a couple of hours for a vampire to fuse himself back together although he would have to drink some kind of blood in order to have the venom in order to do that."

"That sounds rather painful," Melissa commented shuddering again.

"It is," Jasper told her quite seriously. "Losing a limb is very painful and fusing it back on is only a little less so. I should know as I've lost more then one limb in my time and had to use my venom to fuse it back on, which stings like hell and leaves a scar."

"Where are you going take us in order to change us into vampires?" asked Bella, curiously.

"I'll tell you after we finished burning Edward," Jasper said.

"And that brings up another concern where are we going to take Edward were we can burn without anybody interfering?" asked Bella. "It isn't like we can do it in the city as we would have fire trucks and police on us so fast our heads would spin."

"Don't you worry about that I have the perfect place to take him," Jasper said with an evil smirk.

"Where?" asked both girls at the exact same time making Jasper chuckle as they sounded like twins.

"There's an incinerator at the junkyard that's not too far from here. It won't take much to climb over the fence and just throw his parts in there, which is why I waited until after they closed in order to get rid of him," Jasper told them.

"What about security cameras?" asked Bella.

"So long as I avoid being seen by them they won't even sense me," Jasper told her. "Vampires are technically dead so they have no body heat and that means no heat sensors can pick one of our kind up."

"But that means will have to wait for you in the car," Bella pouted as she had really wanted to see the destruction of Edward Cullen. Normally she was a very forgiving individual, but Edward had made her his enemy the minute he had tried to kidnap her for no other reason than the fact that he wanted to prevent Jasper from changing her into a vampire.

"I'm afraid so and I'm really sorry about that," Jasper told her stroking her arm in a soothing gesture. "I'll make it up to you, I promise."

"You had better," Bella told him sternly.

"So how are you going to get Edward over the fence?" asked Melissa. "I don't see him cooperating with you and it's not like you can knock him unconscious."

"Oh I thought I would stop on the way and tear him apart and then I won't have any trouble getting the pieces over the fence even if I have to make several trips," Jasper smirked. "Besides I'm pretty sure I have some kind of sack or bag in my trunk that Alice left there one time for whatever reason and I just never bothered to remove it."

"Oh, yippee!" Bella exclaimed excitedly as they approached Jasper's car. "That's the part I really wanted to see you know and that was you ripping Edward into teeny tiny itsy bitsy pieces."

"It will be my pleasure to fulfill your tiniest desire, my lady," Jasper told his mate graciously bending over her hand to give it a kiss just like the southern gentleman he had been raised to be.

"So long as I get to see you ripping him to shreds I'll be content," Bella assured her mate. "Although it's still to bad I won't get to see you throw his head into the incinerator."

"You can be positively vicious," Jasper told Bella sending her his pride and his love. "I like that in a woman."

"Good," Bella said, "since I know I can be vicious when somebody has ticked me off like Edward has."

They were now close enough to Jasper's car that Bella and Melissa could hear Edward whimpering from within the trunk.

"Why is he whimpering?" asked Melissa curiously.

"He probably either read our thoughts and found out what we had planned for him or he heard us talking, or maybe it was both."

"So Edward is a telepath?" asked Melissa.

"Yes, which is one of the main reasons I think he is like he is. Perhaps if he had been unable to read everybody's thoughts and therefore know how to act because he could read it right out of there heads maybe this wouldn't be necessary. I suppose we'll never know and it doesn't really matter except that Carlisle and Esme will be very sad for long time at the death of their son and it it is likely that they will never forgive me even though Edward caused his own death."

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

Half an hour later Jasper stopped his car in a large parking lot he knew had no cameras close enough to observe what he was doing. This parking lot belonged to a large corporation that Jasper knew had been fined several times for skimping on security measures to keep its employees safe. One of the main complaints over the last several years was that there wasn't enough security cameras in the parking lot at the back of the building. Several employees had already been mugged here and they had never caught the perpetrators because it happened at night when it was a lot harder to see somebody's face and that the parking lot was not well lighted didn't help.

"I've heard of this place," Melissa said as she noticed the name of the corporation on the building. "They've already been fined several times for not having better security measures to protect their employees. One of the main complaints was that there wasn't enough security cameras in the parking lot, which I'm assuming is why you brought us here."

"Yes, that's why, exactly," Jasper said sending Melissa his pride. "So let's get started shall we?"

"We shall," both women said the same time.

"Very, well, move back a little so that Edward can't get to you and hold you hostage before he can be retaken just in case he gets loose, which isn't likely, but you never know."

Bella and Melissa did exactly as Jasper had commanded as they knew that he was only doing his best to protect them

Jasper took out his keys and unlocked the trunk being careful that he was ready for Edward to lunge at him, using his mind to keep changing his decisions as to what he was going to do so fast that Edward wouldn't be able to read what he had planned right out of his head. When Edward did just what Jasper expected him to he was ready and had Edward's arms behind his back holding them with one arm, while his other arm was around his throat and before Edward could even blink or realize what was happening he was in Jasper's grasp. He didn't even have to use his power much although he had it ready in case he needed it.

"Edward Anthony Masen Cullen you are hereby condemned to be torn apart and then for your limbs and body to be burned, saving your head for last until you are nothing but a pile of ashes for your crimes against the vampire race," Jasper intoned solemnly letting the anger he was feeling radiate from his very pores as he made sure Edward felt it as well, which caused him to whimper. "You have broken several of our laws just because you were intent on getting your own way. What you did when revealing casually that you were a vampire to a human is just one of your crimes and that alone would mean death if the Volturi discovered it and that you had let the human live. While your first crime is very serious in my book it is your second crime that is the reason you have to die. You manhandled my mate, held her hostage and were going to kidnap her so you could try to convince her not to become a vampire. That she was not hurt is not thanks to you, as you were thinking of no one but yourself, but to me for taking action and to Bella for remaining calm. You have always been jealous of me, and no don't bother denying it because you know very well I can read your emotions," Jasper continued. "Also you have always believed that you don't have a soul now that you are a vampire that drinks blood and even though you have a right to your beliefs you do not have a right to try to force others into your narrow way of thinking. You were so intent on getting Bella to see your point of view that you wouldn't listen to any arguments to the contrary even though her decisions were none of your concern in the first place. Now to carry out the sentence."

Jasper with his arms still around Edward's throat had no trouble at all using the strength in his arm alone to pull Edward's head back inch by inch—even though Edward was struggling desperately trying to get loose—until his neck bones snapped and his head came free. Edward screamed and cried, venom tears actually leaking out of the corners of his eyes as being taken apart even for a vampire was excruciatingly painful.

"Don't do this, Jasper," Edward's head begged pathetically when Jasper causally tossed it into a bag that was in the trunk of his car. "I'm your brother why would you do this to my your own brother?"

"Yes you were my brother at one point, Edward," Jasper told him quite calmly considering the situation. "But the minute you decided to try to attack my mate is a minute that being my brother was not going to save you. You know the laws as well as I do and if I didn't handle this situation the Volturi would eventually discover it and you know what would happen when they did. This whole situation only came about because you have such a twisted view of what being a vampire really means. If you had never believed that you had lost your soul when you were transformed then this whole thing could probably have been avoided and being able to read anybody's thoughts didn't help the situation, but only exacerbated it."

As Jasper was speaking he was causally pulling off Edward's fingers one by one and then tossing them into the bag that was in the trunk of his car. When he was done with the fingers he started on the toes after ripping Edward's shoes off until they were nothing but scraps of material. Once he was done with that he pulled off both Edward's hands, twisting them until he heard the bones snapping then pulling them free, then he did both of Edward's feet. Once that was done Jasper ripped off the rest of Edward's clothes until he was buck naked so that it would be easier to get to his appendages not caring in the least that the clothing was a very expensive brand name and that to do that to them was practically considered sacrilege. He then bent Edward's left arm at the elbow and also twisted it at the joint just like he had done with his hands, until he heard bones snapping and it was hanging by a thread, which he then causally pulled loose and tossed into the bag.

"Don't do this Jasper," Edward's head begged pathetically.

Jasper ignored Edward's pleas completely and gestured for the two girls to come closer now that he had taken care of the head, hands and feet so that they could watch as he disassembled the rest of what was Edward Cullen.

"Be careful not to step in the venom," Jasper told Bella and Melissa as the two girls came closer.

"Why?" asked Bella as she came to stand beside Jasper, being careful to avoid the puddle of Edward's venom that was leaking from all his torn off limbs as well as his body.

"Because it would eat through your shoes and then burn your fragile human skin and if it actually got inside your body it would start the transformation before we were ready."

"We can't have that," Melissa commented calmly as she came to stand beside Bella also being careful to avoid the puddle of venom.

A few minutes later and Edward's body was completely torn apart and Jasper banged close the trunk lid refusing to listen to Edward's cries.

"I have a surprise for you two ladies," Jasper said as soon as the three of them had got into the car.

"What's the surprise?" asked Bella excitedly as she had learned to love Jasper's surprises in the last week or so.

What amazing change had come over his Bella just in the week or so they had known each other. At first she had protested every time he had tried to surprise her or give her a gift now she got excited about them. It was possible she had just given the into the inevitable as he could be very stubborn or it was also possible that she had come to realize that he loved her and that was why he loved to give her so many surprises and gifts.

"I'm going let you two help me burn the body," Jasper told them.

"How? I thought you were going to go to that junkyard where they had an incinerator?" asked Bella with a raised eyebrow although she had also started bouncing on her toes with excitement.

"I didn't think about it before but I also have a very nice wood burning fireplace back at my penthouse hotel room." Jasper told them.

"But how will you get Edward's parts up there without anybody noticing?" asked Melissa. "It's not like you could walk through the hotel lobby and not have people notice that you're carrying a bag of something that keeps squirming."

"My suite has a fire escape leading out from one of the windows," Jasper told the two girls with a smirk. "A fire escape is really necessary as a second exit in case there is a fire as vampires are very flammable. Of course we can always jump out a window if we had to, but that has the added danger of being seen jumping from such a great height, a height that would kill a human. I'm not sure why using the fire escape to get into my penthouse room didn't occur to me before now, but I just happened to think of it as we were finishing tearing Edward into pieces."

"But that means somebody will have to go up to your hotel room and unlock the window," said Bella slowly.

"Yes that's true," Jasper admitted, "but what you don't know Bella is I've already put you on the list of allowed guests down at the front register so all you have to do is give them your name, show them your identification and they will have no problem having one of the employees show you to my room and opening the door for you. The elevator to the penthouse goes only to there, the mezzanine, the lobby and the garage. Besides you have been in and out often enough over the past week or so that most of the hotels employees should recognize you on sight and will probably fall all over themselves in order to help you since I'm such a wealthy customer."

All three people in the car sniggered at that as none of them had any use for people who fell all over themselves to help someone just because they were wealthy while ignoring somebody of more modest means.

"It's not right when people do that," Bella said still snickering, "but I have to admit it sure does come in handy on occasion."

"That's true," Jasper said also trying to stifle his laughter. "When I informed the manager that you were to be allowed in my penthouse suite at anytime even if I wasn't there and also told him that you were my fiancée, he all but fell all over himself to add you to the allowed list of guests and made sure that all of the employees were aware of it just so there wouldn't be any mixups that might make me angry."

"I was wondering why all the employees that I met went out of their way to ask me if I wanted anything," Bella said sudden realization coming into her brown eyes. "Now I know. Thank you for doing that for me, but it really wasn't necessary."

"You might not think it was necessary, but it really was," Jasper told his mate running one hand through her hair tenderly while he kept the other on the wheel. "What if you had came to see me and you hadn't called me first? There is no way that any of the employees would have let you up to my penthouse suite without being on the allowed guest list and yes I realize that for the last few days we've almost always been together, but it was still a possibility and I'd rather take care of those possibilities before they get out of hand, so I'd rather tell the manager to put you on the allowed list so that you're able to come up to my suite anytime you want then for you to have trouble with the management. You're just going to have to get used to me doing things like that," Jasper told, "as I never want you to have a minute of trouble anywhere you go."

Bella grumbled a little for forms sake, but Jasper could tell she wasn't really upset at all and that she was touched that he had gone such lengths to arrange things for her so that she would have any trouble getting up to see him if it had been necessary.

"Alright, fine, I give in," Bella finally said when she realized her grumbling wasn't have having the desired effect. Damn empath, she added silently as she was sure that he had read her emotions and had known that she wasn't really annoyed at him at all, but touched that he had gone to so much trouble and effect for her.

Melissa watched this byplay in amusement and was amazed that Jasper could get Bella to agree to things with what seemed hardly any effect. Apparently Jasper was even more stubborn then Bella, which really said something as she had always thought that Bella was the most stubborn person she had ever met.

"You do know that your friend is silently laughing at us," Jasper commented as he looked at Melissa so she could see his amused expression.

"I'm not really surprised," Bella giggled. "She's always said that I was the most stubborn person that she had ever met, but I believe you are even more stubborn than me and I know that Melissa finds that amazing as she hadn't believed there was a anyone more stubborn than I was."

Jasper smirked at that while Melissa laughed in agreement. "You're right that's exactly what I was thinking," Melissa said. "Sometimes I think we know each other too well."

"That's what being best friends is all about, Lissa," Bella told her friend.

"We're here, ladies," Jasper said as he pulled up to the front of the hotel to let Bella out. "You have your phone right?"

"I do," Bella assured him, "I promise to call you the minute I have the window to the fire escape open."

"We'll be waiting," Jasper said as he gave Bella a hug and a kiss before reluctantly releasing her.

Both Jasper and Melissa watched as Bella opened her door and got out of the car heading for the entrance to the hotel that the doorman held open for her while bowing respectively. She entered after giving the poor doorman a dazzling smile of thanks that left him looking rather dazed.

Both Jasper and Melissa chuckled knowing that Bella had no idea the affect she had on men because she didn't consider herself beautiful at all, but merely pretty.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

Jasper parked the car and then he and Melissa waited for Bella to call which didn't take very long at all as it was only minutes later that Jasper's phone rang and he answered it immediately. "we'll be right up," Jasper said into the phone before cutting the connection. "This is what we're going to do Melissa," Jasper said. "First I'm going to go up the fire escape taking Edward's parts with me, and then I'm going to come back down and you and me are going to go in the front door and past the doorman to the lobby and go up the normal way. The reason we are doing it this way is so that nobody is suspicious as I'm sure the doorman believes that I'm just parking the car and that I will be there in just a few minutes and that I just dropped Bella off."

"That makes sense," said Melissa, "but don't places like this usually park your car for you?"

"They do, but I normally don't like anybody to drive my car but me and they know that, which is why nobody even offered to park my car for me."

"You must come to New York a lot then and stayed at this particular hotel if they know that much about you," Melissa commented as Jasper got out of the car.

"I come here quite often and maybe I'll tell you of some of the times I've been to this fine city, but not now," Jasper said and disappeared without another word. After a second Melissa heard the sound of the trunk opening and of Jasper lifting the bag that he had Edward's parts in it and then the sounds ceased, the trunk closed and Jasper was gone.

It wasn't more than a couple of minutes later that Jasper came back to the car without the sack and Melissa knew that was cue to get out and follow Jasper into the lobby up to his suite the normal way.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

It didn't take more than a couple minutes to get back to Jasper's suite and as soon as the door was closed Jasper started a fire in the fireplace, doing it expertly. It didn't take any time at all to get a good fire going due to the fact the hotel made sure there was a good supply of logs next to the fireplace.

"Well, shall we begin?" asked Jasper who grinned evilly as he went over to where he had put the bag with Edward's parts on the floor in the corner and then spread them out on the coffee table.

"Why don't you do the honors Bella," Jasper said. "Choose a part, it doesn't matter what it is just so you save the head for last so that Edward can see his body burn piece by piece.

Jasper reached into the bag one last time and drew Edward's head out placing it firmly on the table facing the fireplace that held a now roaring fire. Edward's head whimpered when he saw the flames, but it wasn't like he could really do anything, except beg, considering all he was, was a disembodied head with no arms or legs or body.

"Let's see... I choose this one," Bella decided finally picking up one of Edward's fingerless hands, being careful not to touch the venom coated stump and throwing in it into the roaring flames with a flick of her wrist. Edward watched as his hand turned to ashes in a matter of seconds and screamed in anguish.

"No more screaming for you," Jasper said sternly as he forced Edward's mouth open and pulled out his tongue, also knocking out a lot of his teeth in the process. "We can't have anybody coming up here asking if something is wrong and see what we are doing, now can we?"

Edward whimpered again, but could no longer talk or scream very clearly without his tongue or half his teeth to help form the sounds.

Jasper added Edward's tongue and teeth to the pile of parts that was laying on the table beside his head.

"Melissa you are next," Jasper said calmly as if he had just taken a sip of tea instead of pulling out Edward's tongue and knocking out his teeth, so that he couldn't talk or scream anymore.

Melissa chose one of Edward's wiggling big toes without a word or comment and if it wasn't for his talent Jasper would have believed that Melissa was now afraid of him, but instead he knew she was just awed at his display of strength and amazed that pretty soon she would be able to do the same thing if she wanted to.

Jasper still could not sometimes believe that neither girl was terrified of him, but since he could feel their emotions he knew very well that if they had feared him he would know it.

Once Melissa had thrown the toe into the fire Jasper chose his former brother's cock from the pile of parts holding it up in front of Edward's eyes and then did the same causing the disembodied head to quietly—so quietly in fact that it was almost whispering, as that was all the only sound he could make without his tongue and half his teeth—whimper and cry in anguish as he watched his manhood turn to ash. It wasn't long before all that was left of Edward's body was one arm, one leg, his chest and his head.

As Edward watched each piece of his body enter the fire he cried venom tears and knew that this was it for him. If only he had listened to Jasper and Bella when they were being perfectly reasonable then he would be alive to see another day, but thanks to his stubbornness and stupidity always believing that he was right this was the result and even Carlisle—his father—had been unable to protect him from the idiocy of his own actions.

Bella had been right when she said that he had no right to butt into her life as she was a full grown adult able to make her own decisions and his opinions, were not wanted, appreciated or needed.

He couldn't really blame Jasper either for what he was doing as he was only following the law and also he did have a right to protect his mate even if that mate was human at the moment. He had been so determined that changing Bella into a vampire was the wrong thing to do that he had set himself up for a situation that would eventually lead to his death. If only he had seen it at the time maybe he could have prevented himself from carrying it out and he would be alive and whole now. It was too late now as only his head was left and in just a few seconds he would be not one of the walking dead but really, really completely dead as in no longer in this existence.

"Well are you ready to throw his head on the fire?" asked Jasper a few minutes later.

"Yeah, but who is going to get the honor?" asked Melissa.

"I think you should do it, Jasper," Bella told him, "after all he is your former brother."

"No I already said you could do it, love," Jasper told Bella, "so you go ahead and do it so we can get on with our plans."

"But what about Melissa? Shouldn't she get a chance?"

"It's okay Bella, I don't mind," Melissa assured her friend. "You go ahead and throw Edward's head on the fire so we can get this over with."

"You can have one of his eyeballs and both his ears if you want," Jasper said feeling that Melissa was disappointed even though she didn't say so.

"That will do," Melissa agreed.

At Melissa's words Jasper scooped out one of Edward's eyes while ignoring his quiet whimpers and screams dispassionately and handed it to Melissa after he had put it on a napkin so that she wouldn't have to touch the underside of the very gooey eyeball. Melissa wrinkled her nose in disgust, but then threw the eyeball with the napkin into the fire.

After the eyeball was nothing but ashes which didn't take very long Jasper handed her both of Edward's ears and once those were nothing but ashes Jasper indicated that Bella should lift up Edward's head with his one remaining eyeball and throw it on the flames.

Bella did she was told and lifted up and Edward's head which must've weighed at least 5 pounds and threw it onto the fire like it was a basketball and the fireplace was a goal.

All three people in the room, one if which was a vampire and the other two humans watched silently as Edward's head was at last consumed by the flames, which only took a very short amount of time like three or four minutes at most.

"Well that's it," said Jasper calmly.

"Yes that's it," said Bella as she went and put her arms around Jasper's waist and gave him a hug and a kiss.

Jasper relaxed as he had been feeling very tense and afraid that neither girl would want anything to do with him after they had seen how violent he could be, but he should have known better. "Why don't you ladies take a shower as I'm sure you feel filthy. I'll order you some dinner while you're doing that and make sure that nothing of Edward remains, but ashes."

"Sounds like a good idea to me," said Melissa. "I get dibs on the first shower."

"What about clothes for Melissa though?" asked Bella. "She doesn't have any extra clothes here."

Bella wasn't worried about herself as Jasper had bought her several outfits once he knew her size although without asking her first, which was probably a good thing as she more than likely would have protested if he had told her. Jasper had even managed to find a blouse that was very similar in both style and color to the one that had been ruined by that would be rapist. Luckily for her Jasper appeared to have good taste as the things he had bought for her were things she more than likely would have bought for herself, except that Jasper had chosen expensive brand names which she would not have done. She hadn't protested at the time as she had known Jasper had only done it because he loved her and also that it was a silent message that she should let him buy her things if he wanted to even if she didn't agree with it. So she hadn't as she had seen no point in being nasty and argumentative when the man she loved had just done something so incredibly nice and sweet for her

"She can just borrow your sweats pants and one of your tank tops although the pants will be a little bit long as she is a bit shorter, but we'll soon go back to your apartment and get some of her clothes and other things that she wants to save for once we turn you two into vampires you will never be able to return," Jasper said.

"Oh this is going to practically kill Albert," Melissa said she realized that she would never be able to see her brother again.

"Albert?" asked Jasper curiously.

"Her brother," Bella explained. "She and her brother are exceptionally close for siblings who are not twins anyway. Their father died when they were both young and their mother all but worked herself to death in order to support the three of them."

"My brother is in the Air Force and he just made Lieutenant, which is a pretty fast advancement considering he's only 26. He's four years older than I am and we're always writing and calling whenever he isn't on assignment and I'm not busy with classes."

"I'm sorry you will never be him to see your brother again, Melissa," Jasper told her sympathetically. "If Edward hadn't been such an idiot you never would've known about the world of vampires but thanks to him...well you know."

"I do know and I also know it isn't yours or Bella's fault. My brother will be okay. I hope so anyway although hearing of my death will devastate him for a long time. Let's not start placing blame where it doesn't belong shall we? The blame belongs squarely on the vampire we just finished burning to ashes and no one else."

"You're right," Jasper admitted with a somewhat watery chuckle. "I admit I do have this bad habit of putting blame on my shoulders for things that aren't my fault."

"Well you will stop that! Immediately!" Bella ordered her mate sternly not in the least joking around.

"I'll work on it," Jasper promised giving Bella a very heart-searing kiss on the lips. "I'm sure it will take a while to break a century's long habit."

"You do that," Bella told Jasper having calmed down considerably after his kiss. "I won't have you blaming yourself for things you cannot control. It wasn't you that decided to be an idiot and reveal vampires to Melissa here. Even though Edward was joking I'm sure Melissa would have figured it out as she's no dummy."

"Thanks for your vote of confidence," Melissa told Bella sarcastically with half a smile.

"You're quite welcome, sister dear," Bella told her friend smirking at her.

"We really will be kind of like sisters and not just best friends won't we?" asked Melissa forgiving Bella her sarcasm or any thoughts of revenge.

"We've always been like sisters even though we've never called each other that," Bella told her. "I've always thought, that if I believed in reincarnation at all that maybe we were sisters in another life."

"I for one believe that reincarnation is real," Jasper told the two young women that were about to become part of his family.

"Why?" asked Bella curiously.

"I've seen a lot of things in my almost 165 years of living, a lot of strange things. I've come across plenty of people over the years that remind me so strongly of other people that I have known that they might as well have been reincarnated and who says that they hadn't been? You for example remind me so much of my fiancé from when I was human that it is positively uncanny."

"I do?" asked Bella in astonishment.

"You do," Jasper confirmed. "Ever since I set eyes on you I keep getting flashes of what appears to be the life we had together when we were human and how we were just about to get married when something happened so that it never took place. Before I met you I didn't even remember I had a fiancé when I was human as a lot of vampires lose a lot of their human memories within a year after their changes."

"Will that happen to us?" asked Melissa a little worried about not being able to remember her brother or her mother.

"The truth is I don't know if it will or not," Jasper told the two young women. "Most vampires were changed very violently and have absolutely no idea what is happening to them, but since you are willingly going into the change it might end up being different. I've never heard of someone being made into a vampire voluntarily, so I just don't know."

"You do have a very fat photo album with pictures of your family and your friends," Bella told Melissa. "Just make sure you save that and it might help you remember some of the events in your human life or at least that's what Jasper told me."

"It might, but there are no guarantees. I know a couple of vampires who did manage to save some photos from their human life and as soon as they saw them after being changed they remembered the events that pertained to the pictures."

"Well that's something at least," said Melissa seen in a little relieved, although she was still apparently a little worried about not being able to remember her brother or her friends.

"While you ladies are in the shower I'm going to go hunt up my own dinner," Jasper told them. "I haven't eaten...well since I drank Bella's attacker a week ago and I need to feed if I don't want to attack either of you by accident. I won't be gone long I'll probably be back by the time both of you are done with your showers."

"Go on," Bella told him playfully pushing him towards the door.

"Well I can see when I'm not wanted," Jasper said amused.

"Oh, you are wanted alright, but unfortunately we're not alone for if we were I guarantee you I would have my wicked way with you and do some things I've been wanting to do ever since I met you, but never had the opportunity," Bella whispered to him.

"And what have you been wanting to do to me?" asked Jasper in the same tone as he felt Bella's lust and love rise to an all-time high. Bella stood on her tiptoes and whispered in his ear exactly what she would like to do to him and Jasper felt his lust rise higher than it ever had before and also his cock, which had been at half mast, stand at full attention and become so rock hard that it was actually painful.

"You will have your opportunity and soon," Jasper told his mate huskily pushing her down on the couch roughly causing Bella to purr in anticipation. He then gave her another heart-searing kiss before he rose off the top of her and disappeared out the door without a word leaving Bella soaking wet with desire and muttering curses under her breath.

Melissa poked her head out of the bathroom door and asked, "Is it safe to come out?"

"Yes, it's safe, he's gone to get himself some dinner," Bella said.

Melissa exited the bathroom fresh from her shower, her hair wet, a towel wrapped around her waist. "You really love him, don't you?" she asked Bella.

"I really do," Bella answered wrapping her arms around her body. "I love him so much that it just seems unreal. When I found out he was a vampire I wasn't even afraid of him at all and I have often thought that it was because he saved my life and had made no move to feed on me as well. I actually made love with him within hours of our meeting, if only because I felt as if I had known him for years instead of just a few hours."

"You had sex after you just met him?" asked Melissa in astonishment as she knew very well that Bella had a usually ironclad rule about having sex with a boy she was dating and she never did it before the fourth or fifth date, normally fifth.

"I did as my feelings for him were just so strong," Bella said. "I think it's one of the best decisions I ever made actually."

"Doesn't it bother you that you're going to have to drink blood when he turns you into a vampire?" asked Melissa.

"Not really, no," Bella said with a shrug.

"Why not?" asked Melissa in genuine surprise.

"Because it is what is meant to be," Bella said softly her eyes distant as if she was remembering something.

"Meant to be? You really believe that?" asked Melissa really not at all surprised at Bella's statement for she had covertly watched them together and it just seemed that they were one being in two bodies.

"I do, with my whole heart," Bella said her expression dreamy although her tone was quite serious. "I don't believe like Edward did that I will lose my soul when I am turned into a vampire. For one thing it is our souls that makes it possible for us to feel love, sadness, happiness, amazement, generosity or have emotions at all, it is also our souls that tell us what is right and what is wrong and I don't believe for a moment that we would feel any of these things as vampires if we had no souls."

"You're not a vampire yet though," Melissa pointed out, logically.

"That's true, but Jasper feels these things and he often sends me his emotions to let me know how he feels about me so he doesn't have to say the words or perhaps he does it because it is a lot harder to brush off somebody's feelings then it is if it was just words. Now if you don't mind despite how fascinating this conversation is I'm going to go get my shower and eat this food before Jasper gets back," said Bella pointing at the table set for two that had come from room service while Melissa was in the shower.

"You've given me quite a lot to think about," Melissa admitted her expression thoughtful.

Bella didn't respond but took her clothes into the bathroom and shut the door. It wasn't more than a minute later that Melissa heard the shower running and she sat down in one of the chairs in the sitting area thinking about what Bella had told her eating her dinner without really tasting it.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

When Jasper got back an hour later he found Melissa curled up on the couch sound asleep and Bella sitting in one of the chairs reading one of the books that was in the suite.

"You're back!" Bella's exclaimed softly so as not to wake her sleeping friend. It had been a very long and tiring day for someone who wasn't used to it and Melissa had just been pulled into the world of vampires without any warning it all, so really it was only natural that she was all pooped out. "Have a good dinner?"

The question was so causal that it took Jasper moment to realize that it didn't bother his Bella at all that he drank human blood.

"I had a very good dinner," Jasper said finally giving Bella a kiss grateful that she and Melissa hadn't taken the opportunity to leave while he went to hunt.

"Take several criminals off the streets?" Bella joked.

"Actually I did I got me a drug dealer and a mugger, although the mugger tasted like he had drugs in his system," Jasper said.

"You can tell when somebody's been taking drugs just from drinking their blood?" asked Bella in astonishment.

"Oh yes," Jasper confirmed, "A vampire's taste buds are very finely tuned and much more sensitive then a humans. We can tell when somebody's been drinking heavily, and when they've been taking drugs and usually what kind of drug it is, so long as we have encountered that drug in the past, and even though we can tell these things it doesn't affect us."

"In other words it doesn't make you a drug addict or make you drunk," Bella said.

"Exactly," said Jasper.

"That could be very useful you know," Bella commented.

"It already come in useful several times over the years especially when somebody was trying to get me drunk. Since alcohol doesn't affect us we can drink as much as we want and only have to pretend to be drunk while the other guy...

"...got himself as drunk as a skunk," Bella sniggered. "So you can actually drink then and don't have to throw it up later?"

"Yes, we can, as alcohol is absorbed into our venom, but we can't drink anything else or eat any human food as that would have to be coughed up. Why alcohol is different I have no idea but I discovered we could drink about fifty years ago although it tastes like shit."

"Now not to change the subject but I have a bit of a bone to pick with you," Bella told Jasper looking into his eyes.

"Oh and what bone is that?" asked Jasper already knowing the answer, but waiting for Bella to say the words.

"You know very well what bone I have to pick with you," Bella scolded him. "You left me high but not so dry as the saying goes. I had to take a very cold shower instead of the hot one I wanted."

"I'm sorry, love," Jasper told her sincerely. "Believe me I would've been ecstatic to have made love to you, but with Melissa right there that just wasn't possible as I have never been one to do that kind of thing with an audience."

"I want you so bad," Bella said as she came up to him and started kissing him on the neck causing Jasper to pure at the tenderness of his mate, "even after my cold shower."

"Well I can keep Melissa asleep using my talent so we can do that," Jasper suggested. "Believe me I've had a very painful erection since I kissed you and then went to hunt and I haven't even had a chance to take a cold shower to relieve that tension."

"Serves you right," Bella muttered pretending to still be mad at him although she had found it was nearly impossible to remain mad at Jasper for very long.

"Come on, darlin', I can feel that you're not really mad at me so you can quit pretending," Jasper told her confidently.

"Sometimes your empathic ability can be a pain in the ass," Bella said giving him a heartstopping kiss.

"It can be," Jasper admitted with a sexy smirk that drove Bella wild with desire. "Now before I left I believe you told me that you wanted to suck on the general is that correct?"

"You know very well that's what I said as vampires have eidetic memories and excellent hearing."

"We do and I remember your exact words to. You knew that your words would drive me wild and yet you did it on purpose."

"I sure did," Bella smirked. "Of course I also meant what I said even though I knew it would drive you wild and make you come back to me all the quicker."

"I'll always come back to you," Jasper told her tenderly as he brushed a few locks of her hair back behind her ear. "You are what I've been looking for, even though I didn't know it, ever since I was turned into a vampire."

Jasper then picked up and carried her over to the bedroom that was part of the suite and placed her gently on the bed making sure he closed the door with his foot so that at least the sounds of their lovemaking would be muffled somewhat.

"I don't have the time to be too gentle as the Major is demanding that I take you and make you mine," Jasper warned her. "I'm afraid I'm going to leave you with some bruises."

"Bruises are nothing," Bella told Jasper putting a finger to his lips in order to silence him. "I've told you that before."

Jasper nodded the Major beginning to show out of his eyes which turned as black as midnight.

"You are mine," Jasper said roughly in a tone that Bella had never heard before and she quickly realized that it was not her Jasper speaking but the other side of his personality known as the Major.

"I am yours," Bella agreed quite calmly considering the circumstances. "I feel the connection that is alive between us and know that we belong to each other."

"You will never even look at another man the way you do me," the Major ordered kneading her breast roughly making Bella groan at the tingle of pain mixed with desire.

"Why would I bother looking at any other man when I have you?" Bella asked as a spasm of pure pleasure shot through her making her feel lightheaded.

The Major didn't respond verbally, but instead started gently kissing the bruises that were already forming on his mate's breast from the way he had squeezed it just seconds earlier. When he was done with the breast he started on the other one gently kneading it and then licking the tip into a little peak.

Bella purred as her orgasm began to build rapidly and Jasper had barely done anything to her yet.

"I need you now, my mate, I can wait no longer to take you," the Major said in as gentle a tone as he could manage.

"Then take me," Bella ordered opening her brown eyes so that the Major could see the love and desire she had for him and him alone.

The Major growled, but instead of it scaring Bella as the sound was quite ferocious it only sent a surge of desire down her spine and to her pussy, which got even wetter as a result.

"You're ready for me. Excellent," the Major growled again his eyes pitch-black with desire, lust and need.

"I'm always ready for you. Ever since I met you I am constantly wet down there and my belly is almost always burning with my need and desire for you. All you have to do is look at me and I want you."

"Good, I feel the same way about you my mate—always. I cannot wait to make you one of my kind so I can make love to you the way I really want to and claim you as mine for eternity," the Major said his lips hovering just over the vein in the side of her neck where he would bite her and inject some of his venom into her system so that she could begin to transform.

"Only a few more weeks and I will be one of your kind and we will be together forever," Bella soothed her mate.

The Major didn't respond verbally, although his mouth did move away from her neck, but he did slam himself into his mate hard enough that he knew she was going to be incredibly sore tomorrow, but still he had enough control to be careful as Bella was still human and therefore easily breakable. "You are mine, my mate. Forever, is not long enough for me to love you, to need you, to desire you, for you are my entire existence."

"I feel the exact same way about you and it doesn't matter whether it is Jasper or the Major as you are both part of the man I love with every atom of my soul," Bella assured him telling the Major with her emotions that she loved, needed and desired him just as much and would—always.

At Bella's words and the feel of her emotions the Major slammed himself into her pussy one more time and then released his cold, hard seed which instantly put out the fire in Bella's stomach.

Bella felt her orgasm overtake her and it was so hard and came on so fast that she actually blacked out for quite a few minutes and by the time she came around the Major was gone and Jasper had taken his place and he looked incredibly worried

"Are you alright, love?" asked Jasper his tone worried as soon as he saw Bella open her eyes.

"Yes," said Bella moving her arms and legs and making sure nothing was more than sore and bruised, "I'm fine, I'm going to be incredibly sore in the morning, but nothing appears to be broken."

"But you blacked out and not just for a few seconds like you did the first time we made love, Jasper said still looking worried. "You were out for at least 10 minutes."

"You can blame the Major for that as the pleasure he was giving me was so intense that he caused me to lose consciousness," Bella giggled giving him a kiss on his naked chest and running her tongue over it as well not seeming to care about all the little bumps that were his scars.

"I've already had an internal conversation with him and he has promised to behave himself until after you are one of our kind."

"Good, because as much as I enjoyed it, I'm not sure my poor, frail human body can take another session like that, at least not until I am like you that is," Bella said continuing to kiss and lick his chest. "Did we wake up Melissa with all the noise we made?"

"No, believe it or not she still out cold," Jasper said shaking his head in amazement. "You would think with all the racket we were making she would've woken up since I lost control of my power while we were making love."

"She must have really been exhausted poor thing," Bella commented sympathetically. "She tends to sleep a lot more deeply when she's all worn out. She's almost been late for class more than once because when she's exhausted she's very hard to wake up."

"You don't seem the least bit tired," Jasper commented dryly, "your blacking out aside."

"I have a lot more stamina then Melissa does since I do run three or four days a week whenever I have the time. Besides I just went through one of the best, most fabulous lovemaking sessions of my entire life and I really hope that after I am changed they keep being just as spectacular. If they do we will probably stay in bed a lot."

"I wouldn't mind at all," Jasper told her giving her a kiss. "And trust me once you are like me they will be even more spectacular, but there are certain things I can't do to you until after you are changed."

"Then expect us to stay in bed—a lot," said Bella, "and in fact don't plan on leaving the bed at all for at least the first six months except too hunt."

"As much as I would love that we really have to consider Melissa and also both of you will be newborns and until your newborn stage is over with we will not be making love as much as I would like to."

"Ahhh, JJJJassspppeeeerrr," Bella whined.

"Believe me I don't like it anymore than you do, but I have told you all about what being a newborn entails and you might not have all the problems that most newborns have, but you will have a few of them and you do have to consider Melissa, who will more than likely be your typical newborn."

"You're right, I know you are, but that doesn't mean I won't jump you a lot newborn or not," Bella told him seductively.

"I'll be happy to let you jump me, anytime you want," Jasper assured her the giving her a kiss. "You better get some sleep now we have a lot to do on the morrow."

"I'm not sleepy though," Bella protested.

"You should be it's quite late at night as its after one. You need your beauty sleep, although why they call it beauty sleep when the woman it is referring to is already beautiful I have no idea."

"They call it beauty sleep because if women don't get enough sleep they have bags under their eyes, their hair is all scraggly and looks as if it hasn't been brushed in a month and they look like the back end of a bus and therefore aren't beautiful," Bella told Jasper dryly.

"You could never look like that as you will always be beautiful no matter how little or how much sleep you get, and soon you won't be able to sleep at all so it doesn't really matter."

"Yes, but once I'm like you I also won't get bags under my eyes or have my boobs start to sag when I get older, I won't have to wear a bra, which I've always hated by the way, unless I'm wearing an outfit that requires one."

"Actually you can get haggard and have bags under your eyes if you don't feed as often as you should," Jasper told her seriously. "When you're really hungry your throat will start burning something fierce and also your eyes will start going from red to black the longer you don't feed. Eventually they will be all black and that is when you definitely need to hunt."

"Hm, that's interesting," Bella said genuinely interested in what Jasper was telling her. "I have a question for you actually."

"What's your question?" asked Jasper sending her his curiosity.

"Well I was wondering how Melissa and me are going to feed after that first time that is if we can't go into town for at least the first year? You've already said that somebody has to stay with us since newborns tend to wander off if they are not watched."

"I've already solved that little problem," Jasper assured her.

"How?" asked Bella curiously.

"I've asked Peter and Charlotte to come stay with us for a while. They are the ones that will be going into town and bringing you back your meals and mine as well, since I need to stay with you and Melissa."

"You have told them that I don't want to feed off anyone that isn't a criminal, right?" asked Bella a little anxiously.

"Yes, I have and since that's the way they hunt themselves they won't have any problem with it."

"Good," said Bella relaxing a little.

"I'll warn you now though that Peter is a prankster and you will need to watch out for him. He won't really do you any harm, but...well you'll see when you meet him. Charlotte on the other hand is very nice and I'm sure the two of you will get along famously and probably become best friends just like you and Melissa are."

"That will be nice, to have someone besides Melissa to talk to about girl things," said Bella, sounding sleepy finally.

"If Peter does bother you feel free to slap him on the back of the head as Charlotte does it all the time when he misbehaves and I do to occasionally when he deserves it," Jasper added. "So long as you don't take any crap from him he won't be quite so bad about teasing you although you can't make Peter stop teasing you completely."

"Hm, sounds like having a big brother," said Bella. "I always wanted a big brother."

"If you call him that he will be loyal to you and love you as a little sister forever," Jasper told her. "I know Peter, since I'm the one that changed him in the first place and he told me once that he lost a little sister to some kind of disease, which he thought was scarlet fever although he wasn't absolutely sure."

"Scarlet fever takes affects children from 4 to 8 years old but rarely anyone older as most children by the age of 10 have developed the antibodies needed to fight the disease. Scientists are unsure of exactly when scarlet fever first showed itself, although they think it is around 400 or so BC. It wasn't until the development of penicillin that this disease was eradicated and penicillin wasn't developed until 1928, so it is likely that your friend was right and it was scarlet fever that killed his little sister. History has always interested me and I believe I read that somewhere when I was studying for a history test," Bella admitted a little shyly when she saw Jasper's amazed expression.

"Well it looks like we both share a love of history," Jasper said sounding pleased. "History has always fascinated me too although it's mostly war history, which makes sense if you think about it considering I was a major in the Confederate Army in the Civil War."

"Do you read anything else besides history?" asked Bella a little shyly.

"Oh I occasionally read some science-fiction books or thrillers, historical fiction and mysteries, but that's about it. The historical fiction a lot of times is filled with inaccuracies, which is why I don't read much of it unless it's something that someone I know recommended."

"Can't you just let yourself ignore the inaccuracies and just enjoy the story?"

"No, I'm afraid I wasn't built that way and it just annoys me to much when I notice so many little things that are wrong about that time period."

"That's what you get for a living for over 164 years, Mr. Whitlock," Bella teased Jasper. "If you hadn't been around for so long you wouldn't notice all the little inaccuracies, now would you?"

"Yes, I guess you're right," Jasper chuckled as he usually had a pretty good sense of humor and thanks to his ability he could tell when he was just being teased lightheartedly or when there was malice intended.

"In any case I enjoy a good historical novel and unlike you can ignore the inaccuracies if I notice them that is, I also like romance and occasionally fantasy. Mercedes Lackey is a personal favorite," Bella admitted sheepishly. "I especially like her Valdemar series and my next favorite is the Elemental Masters series. I like most everything she's written actually if truth be known although I really don't like the black swan book that she wrote because it is pretty obvious that the movie the Swan Princess is based off it or perhaps it's the other way around, but anyway, my point is I always hated that movie so I don't like the book either. I have all my favorites of hers in hardback and I'd really like to save them if possible especially the one that's signed by Mercedes Lackey herself."

"There's nothing wrong with liking fantasy," Jasper told her hugging her close to him. "You don't ever have to be afraid to admit anything to me and I will never tease you for it."  
>"I've never been a big fantasy fan, well mostly anyway, but then I discovered the world that is Valdemar and I was hooked like a fish at the end of my dad's fishing pole. There's just something about the characters that I fell in love with when I read Arrows for the Queen, Arrows Flight and Arrows Fall, which was the first three Valdemar books so wrote. It's a trilogy as if that isn't obvious from the titles. There's just something about the characters that I fell in love with. There is the bravery of Kris and Talia and the desperation of Dirk as he knows that his best friend Kris is dead and that Talia the woman he loves is probably dead as well. There are many great heroes and lovable characters in the trilogy as well as some very obvious villains and then one unobvious one that is not caught until the very last book in the last couple of chapters and of course it ends with the wedding of Talia and Dirk."<p>

"Of course," Jasper said as he listened truly fascinated as Bella described some of what happened in the trilogy.

"One thing I really loved about the series long before I met you was the fact that Talia and Dirk had a life bond and were soulmates just like we are and I always thought that it must be fantastic to have someone that loves you unconditionally no matter your mistakes. I remember some years ago dreaming about finding someone like that and what do you know just as I stop thinking of finding someone you pop into my life. Sometimes I think Fate has a very twisted sense of humor."

"So you believe in fate?" asked Jasper.

"How can I not when just a year or so go I stopped dreaming of finding someone to spend my life with because every boy I dated just wasn't worth it and then suddenly you appear in my life like a dream or mirage just as I've given up of finding someone to really and truly love. If you told me that you didn't believe in fate after that, I wouldn't believe you. I believe with my whole soul that it was fate that we met and it was fate that made you recognize me as your mate so that you wouldn't drain me when you fed off of that would be rapist."

"You are right," Jasper admitted. "Normally I wouldn't even have bothered coming into the alley and would have found me a meal elsewhere where there was no possible witnesses or if I had decided to interfere would have put you to sleep using my talent first so that when you woke up you would only realize that you had somehow escaped being raped, but would never have known how or who rescued you. I'm still not exactly sure what drew me into that alley except that it was something in your voice when you screamed that made me want to help you. When I first set eyes on you however I was lost and I knew instantly that I had found my one true mate. Even if I hadn't been sure I had this vision of us together flash before my eyes that told me what my vampire instincts already had."

Bella yawned and Jasper looked at the clock realizing it was after two. "Go to sleep now, you're tired. We can continue this discussion in the morning if you want," Jasper told her gently.

"You're right, good night, Jasper, I love you," Bella said as she immediately fell asleep with her head on Jasper's chest.

"I love you to, my Bella, more than you will probably ever know," Jasper told her softly kissing the top of her head before laying back on his pillow his arm around Bella's waist.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

"So where are you going to take us to change us into vampires?" asked Melissa a week and a half later after she and Bella had had breakfast and showers and gotten dressed. Jasper of course had had his own shower and also gotten dressed, but had not eaten and just sat and watched the girls as they ate.

"I have this place in Montana, a ranch house that should give us plenty of room for your transformations and for your newborn year afterwards. It's also out in the middle of nowhere so nobody should bother us," Jasper replied.

"Ah, okay," Melissa replied. "Would you care to describe the process of turning into a vampire?"

"It is very painful and I'm truly sorry about that but there's no way to stop the pain," Jasper answered immediately knowing that this question was coming eventually. "First I will bite you in several places like on your neck and your ankles and your wrists at the pulse points and inject as much of my venom as I can each time I do. The more of my venom I inject the faster the transformation will take place."

"And how long is this process supposed to take?" asked Melissa.

"Three days," Jasper told her his tony sympathetic.

"Three days of being in how much pain are we talking about again?" Melissa asked looking a little apprehensive and with good reason.

"First imagine dipping your entire body in boiling, hot lava, then being flayed by 1000 white hot knives and then having acid poured over your injuries and you might come close to what it feels like to be transformed into a vampire," Jasper told her. "I won't lie to you about the process. Being changed into a vampire and to have a vampire's venom racing through your body is one of the most painful things for any human to endure."

Melissa gulped at the thought of being in so much pain for three days straight, but knew she had to go through it or be killed permanently and she didn't really want to die and would much rather be turned into a vampire and live—well in a manner of speaking. "And do all the humans that get bitten survive the process?"

"No they do not," Jasper told her honestly. "Those that don't survive the change, especially if it is a controlled change and not an accident mostly had heart problems or some other kind of medical problem before they were bitten. You and Bella are young, healthy and strong though and have no medical problems I am aware of that should affect the process."

"Sounds rather like a crap shot to me," Melissa joked just a little nervously.

"I wish I could make the process not as painful for both of you but there is no way that I'm aware of to do that. It's kind of like being cleansed by fire you either survive the process or you don't," Jasper said.

"So have you decided on what kind accident we're supposedly going to have so that nobody starts looking for us?" asked Bella changing the subject on purpose Jasper was sure, but he didn't mind and answered her.

"Yes I thought a boating accident where something happens while we are sailing and our bodies get washed overboard. By the time the Coast Guard discovers the boat we will be long gone and they will assume that all three of us drowned. I will of course be driving the speedboat after I let you off somewhere far enough away that the Coast Guard won't look and I'll go crash and sink it somewhere and then swim back to shore."

"Sounds reasonable to me," Bella said knowing that since Jasper was a vampire he could do it with no trouble at all.

"It's a good plan," Melissa said putting in her two cents worth.

"Well I'm glad you two ladies think so," said Jasper sending both of them his amusement at their act.

"So what should we do today?" asked Bella.

"Well I for one need to go back to the apartment and pick up a few clothes," Melissa said as she looked at her outfit. "If I'm going to be staying here for the foreseeable future I really need to bring more than a few days worth of clothes and other items."

"I think…" Jasper said slowly as if something had just occurred to him. "It's about time that you start thinking about what you want to bring with you into your new life and we get it over here today, just in case something interferes and you don't get a chance."

"That's a good idea," Bella said. "Both Melissa and I have already thought about it and we know exactly what we want to bring that we absolutely don't want to lose."

"It won't take more than a few minutes to gather it all," Melissa added.

"Good," Jasper approved. "Why don't we do that this morning just so we get it done."

"We can do it right now if you want," said Melissa. "It's not like we have anything else to do."

"In fact if you want to head to your place in Montana today and you could arrange that boating accident," Bella added as she looked at Melissa who just nodded.

Jasper looked up in surprise at Bella's words and studied both girls intently for moment, "Are you telling me that you're both ready to go to through the transformation?" Jasper asked trying to conceal his excitement as they still had a week and a half at least before the date they had originally agreed on for the change.

"Yes," Bella said looking at Melissa who nodded resolutely, "both of us are ready to be changed into vampires. Neither one of us is looking forward to the pain that comes with the transformation but we are ready to get it over with. That especially goes for me as I am more than ready to start my life with you."

"Very well then," Jasper said with a happy smile that absolutely lit up his face, "I will contact Peter and Charlotte and tell them they need to be ready earlier than expected, that is if Peter doesn't already know, as we will start the transformation as soon as we get to Montana. It will take at least two or three days to get there as we will be driving and it is over 2,000 miles but since I don't need sleep it won't take as much time as it could."

"We will need to stop every few miles you know to stretch our legs, use the bathroom, get something to eat," Bella reminded him

"I know that which is why it will take longer then if we would just be driving straight through," Jasper replied. "Not to mention thanks to your sensibilities I have to drive at the speed limit and not as fast as the car can go as you to have showed an appalling lack of liking speed."

The one time Jasper had tried to speed somewhere both girls had gotten sick once the car had stopped and that made him decide that until they were vampires they would just have to go places at the speed limit.

"You could always use your talent on us if you want to speed," Bella suggested with a smile coming over to give a Jasper kiss on the cheek.

"I will if I need to, but there is really no need to hurry, even though I am anxious to change you girls into vampires so we can start our lives together. You especially Bella and you are well aware of why that is."

"I am and trust me I'm just as anxious for that part," Bella agreed as she came back to sit beside her friend.

"What are you talking about exactly?" Melissa asked seriously looking between the two of them.

"Why don't you explain it," Jasper told Bella, "as I'm going to go hunt just so I don't have to do that until after we get to Montana."

"Okay I'll see you when you get back," Bella said calmly giving him another kiss on the lips before Jasper disappeared out the door.

"What exactly did Jasper mean?" asked Melissa looking worried as soon as the suite door had closed. "Why is he so anxious to change you into a vampire?"

"Well you remember me telling you about the fact that we are mates?" Bella asked rhetorically knowing very well that her friend had a perfect memory, since it was eidetic.

"Yes? So?" asked Melissa wondering exactly where this was going.

"Well what that means precisely that while we are mates the bond is not complete," Bella begin to explain.

"What do you mean not complete?" asked Melissa.

"Why don't you just let me finish explaining and save your questions until afterwards or we will be here for the next week at least."

"Alright fine," Melissa said imperiously sitting back in her chair and waving her hand very much she was a queen expected to be immediately obeyed in all things. "Begin!"

Bella had a hard time not bursting out into laughter but managed to contain her snickering... barely.

"Well it's like this..." Bella told her and begin to explain all about the mating bond and how it wasn't complete until she and Jasper had bitten each other somewhere on the body, although that was usually on the side of the neck marking each other and also completing the bond.

"That sounds very primitive in a very sweet and romantic kind of way," Melissa said finally not sure exactly how to feel about Bella's explanation.

"I suppose that it is primitive," Bella admitted, "but you also have to remember that vampires are creatures of instinct when it comes to certain things and making love and hunting are two of those things. Personally I think Jasper has an amazing amount of control, because most of his kind the minute they had seen their mate would have bitten them in order to change them."

"Yes, I see exactly what you mean," Melissa said slowly seeming to be walking it out in her mind.

"Also it's not just a matter of control, but about caring about humans as something other then a food source," Bella admitted after a minute. "Jasper told me a few days ago that most vampires didn't care for humans at all except as a source for blood. He also said until he met Alice and lived with the Cullens for a while neither did he, but that was only because he had been immersed in war and death for so many years."

"So you two met each other when you were both ready for it," Melissa suggested who at this point had heard Jasper's story.

"Yes, that's what I think as well," Bella admitted, "although I have never said as much to Jasper."

"Why not?" asked Melissa with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh it's just never come up that's all," Bella said shrugging her shoulders.

Melissa was about to reply when they both heard footsteps approaching the door and then someone sliding their security card through the slot. They then both heard a beep as the light on the door would have turned green. Finally the sound of the door opened a few seconds later and Jasper came into the suite taking off his sunglasses, his eyes newly blood red from having just freshly fed.

"You're back," Bella said enthusiastically getting out her chair she was sitting in and running into his arms to give him a kiss as she had missed him dreadfully while he was gone. Partly that was the mating bond at work, Bella knew and she also knew that as soon as she was a vampire the effect of missing him when he wasn't by her side would be at least a thousand times worse, especially for the first few years until the bond matured.

Jasper had gotten ahold of Charlotte a few days ago on the phone and had had her explain all about the mating bond to Bella since she and Peter had been mated for decades. She and Charlotte had gotten on like a house on fire as the saying went or at least they had over the phone so Bella was somewhat anxious to meet her in person and Peter to of course.

"Are you ladies ready to go?" asked Jasper.  
>"Yes," Melissa who was just throwing the last of her things into a duffle bag.<p>

"Yes, let's go back to our apartment and get the things we really want to save and then we can be on our way," said Bella.

"Just let me finish getting my things together," said Jasper moving at vampire speed around the room putting his clothes and toiletries into his duffle bag.

"Let's go," Jasper said a few seconds later trying to contain his excitement and anxiousness and project a calm exterior even if his stomach was in knots.

Bella gave him an unreadable look and Jasper suspected that she wasn't fooled by the his pretended calm. Well she did know him well, almost to well actually considering they hadn't been together all that long, Jasper thought ruefully.

The two young women picked up their duffel bags and Bella double checked that they hadn't forgotten anything, looking under the bed and in the bathroom just to make sure and then the three of them hadn't left anything before heading for car, Jasper taking both of the girls bags although they protested and he gave them a stern look and they subsided.

"Just let me stop by the registration office, tell them I'm checking out, pay the bill, then we can go by your place and then be on the road," said Jasper as he unlocked his car. The car had been fixed in just a couple of days after Edward had banged the hell out of the trunk lid and left so many dents, and not only had he done that he had thrown out the shocks and loosened the muffler as well. Jasper had had to pay extra for such a rush job but it was worth it so they wouldn't be without a car. It had been hell trying to match the exact color of paint though as the trunk lid had had to be repainted as well.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

It was only 10 minutes later that they were on their way once Jasper had checked out and paid the bill which had been quite enormous but considering he had had a suite for almost a month that wasn't to bad. The suite was like a thousand dollars a day, plus the cost of food for Melissa and Bella as well so really you had to expect the bill to be quite large. Jasper didn't really mind the expense as he knew he could afford it. Besides what was the point of having money if you didn't spend it sometimes?

He wasn't one of those people that had a lot of money and then didn't want to spend it. Money was for making life a little easier and this was especially true when you were a vampire and not part of normal society.

"Shall we be on our way, ladies?" asked Jasper as soon as he had gotten into the driver's seat of his car.

"Yes," both Bella and Melissa said at the same time sounding almost like twins who had been known to finish each other sentences making Jasper chuckle.

"Why do I think the next the few centuries are not going to be as quiet as the ones before I met you and are instead going to be filled with trouble, excitement and adventure with you two as part of my coven?" asked Jasper in his warm, rich voice filled with amusement.

"Because you are incredibly perceptive?" Melissa suggested with a humorous twinkle in her gray eyes.

"Call it what you will, but I call it experience," Jasper told the two with an amused smile. "Peter and Charlotte are the only two members of my coven at present and Peter especially can be a lot of trouble all by himself."

"I am anxious to meet Peter and Charlotte," said Bella. "It's just that you've told me so much about them...and I have spoken to Charlotte on the phone and she seems very nice..."

"Trust me they are also anxious to meet you," Jasper assured her. "Peter told me when I talked to him that if I scared you off he would take me apart piece by piece, which is just his way of saying that he is anxious to make your acquaintance. When I talked to Charlotte she told me that she was looking forward to meeting you two and having a couple of girlfriends to spend time with and she also said that it was about time I found my true mate as she had always known that Alice and me were not meant to last forever. Of course Peter also said I had a masochistic streak for being willing to take on two newborns at the same time."

Both girls giggled at Jasper's words.

"Why do you have a masochistic streak just for being willing to change two humans into vampires at once?" asked Melissa innocently.

"Because dealing with one newborn vampire as they get used to their new existence is difficult enough, but dealing with two would be like...well like...trying to swim across the whole ocean buck naked would be for a human."

"Is it really that hard?" asked Melissa as she thought about Jasper's statement.

"Oh yes, remember when I told you all about how I became a vampire and how it was job to break the newborns?"

"Yes," said Melissa wondering where Jasper was going with this, although Bella knew as she had heard the full tale and not the condensed version that Melissa had received.

"Well, one thing I never told you was that one of the reasons it was my job to train newborns to fight was because my talent was so useful for keeping them in line. I could send them so much pain that they wouldn't be able to do anything but howl in agony until I released them, but since I am going to change you two willingly and with your full cooperation I am going to have to come up with some different tactics as I can hardly bring you back in line by using pain like I did during the Southern Wars."

"Newborns are hard to control simply because they react on instinct for at least the first three months because of their increased brain capacity," Bella explained to her friend. "Those changes take quite a while to get used to you see. A year or more depending on the person."

"Which is why they called newborns, right?" asked Melissa.

"Partly," Jasper said. "The reason they are called newborns is because they are almost like a baby who is learning how to crawl and then walk. They are learning to deal with their much increased brain capacity, their strength, the fact that they don't need to sleep anymore, the fact that they can see and hear at much greater distances and with much greater clarity then they did when they were human and the fact that they now have to drink blood and can no longer eat human food. There are just a lot of changes to get used to and that takes a lot of time. Also as a newborn you will need blood at least every other day anywhere from 2 to 5 humans, although I have known some newborns who needed to feed every day. After your newborn year you will need less blood but will still have to feed every two or three days. When you are about five years old you will only need to eat once a week so long as you drink at least two humans. Of course the more energy you use the more often you will have to feed."

Melissa absorbed this information then asked, "Didn't you mention another way to feed besides killing humans?"

"Yes I did and that is to drink from animals," Jasper told her. "I did that for number of years as you well know as it was part of the story I told you."

"So why don't you still hunt animals instead of humans?" asked Melissa.

"Well for one thing draining animals of their blood is not as satisfying as the draining a human. If you know anything about the difference between human and animal blood I think you'll discover that the reason that living off animals is not as satisfying is, that although their blood has the essential components we need to live it is also not as complex as a humans, which makes sense if you think about it since all vampires were once human and therefore it is of course human blood that brings us the most satisfaction and control. If you do decide to hunt animals instead of humans you will soon discover that it is a lot harder to control your thirst when you go around humans and there is always a slight burning at the back of your throat no natter how much animal blood you drink. That burning is possible to learn to ignore as I know several vampires who have done it, but it is also very difficult and you have to have a very strong will in order to do that. Of course it goes without saying it's a little easier to learn to ignore if you have never tasted human blood at all."

"You mean the Cullens, don't you?" asked Melissa.

"Yes and also the Denali," Jasper replied, "as they are considered cousins to the Cullens and live in Alaska. Most of them except Carlisle has had human blood at one point even if it was an accident."

"Are those two groups of vampires the only ones you know that drink animal blood?" asked Melissa just a little curiously.

"Yes they are or at least the only ones that I know of, but that doesn't mean there isn't one or two others out there that do the same thing, although I will admit that is highly unlikely."

"Why is it so unlikely?" asked Melissa her curiosity relentless wanting to know everything there was to know about a subject that she was interested in.

"Because of the fact that it wouldn't occur to most of our kind that they could drink from animals and even if it did why would you go from a seven course feast to practically famine?"

"There's that much difference?" asked Melissa in genuine surprised astonishment.

Bella who had been listening quietly absorbing everything that was said also looked interested in the answer.

"Yes, there is, take it from somebody who has tried both ways that human blood tastes about 1000 times better than animal blood, especially if the animal is a herbivore, like a deer." Jasper made a face as he remembered the taste of various animals he had tried over the years when he had lived with the Cullens, which really had been all that long ago, especially for a vampire.

"I'm not sure I could actually kill a human, even a criminal and not feel incredibly guilty for it afterwards," Melissa admitted.

"I'll be happy to teach you to hunt animals if that what you want," Jasper told her giving her a sympathetic glance as he understood very well about feeling guilty for killing after all what had once been one of his own kind. "But as I just finished saying it is a lot harder life as you would have to be extremely careful whenever you went around humans so as not to attack them unnecessarily. You have to fight a lot harder for control as drinking from animals does not satisfy you thirst completely then if you fed off a human."

"But Carlisle did it," Melissa pointed out.

"But it took him centuries to do so and he was also born with the exceptionally strong traits of will power and stubbornness which most of us do not possess. Also you must remember that he was born in a different time, when there weren't as many humans as there are now. You could walk or ride somewhere and it would take weeks or months to get there. During the journey all you would see was mostly empty land with a scattering of very small towns which were days or weeks apart from each other. Believe me when I tell you that when Carlisle was born not coming across very many humans for weeks at a time would be a tremendous help to helping him learn to control his instincts. Now there are a lot more humans then there were back then and you can also get places much faster by driving a car, or taking a bus or plane. It doesn't take weeks or months to get somewhere like it did back in the time Carlisle or even I was born and although he could have used vampire speed to get places much, much faster most of the time he used human transportation."

"You're right," Melissa finally said after remaining silent for a very long time. "I don't know what I'm going to do then, because I am afraid I would feel very guilty for killing a human."

"Why don't you give it a try?" Bella suggested. "That's what I am going to do as I felt the same way as you. If you do feel guilty afterwards you can always switch to animal blood. How do you know if you are going to feel guilty until you have tried it? Besides think about the fact that there are a lot of evil people in the world. Humans who sell drugs, or rape a child, or a woman, people who abuse children, murderers, kidnappers, slavers, people who steal older people's life savings...you have an opportunity to get some of these people off the streets so that the world is just a little bit better for it afterwards and good, honest decent people are a little safer."

"I never thought of it like that," Melissa said her eyes distant, her expression thoughtful. "Put like that it really doesn't seem all that bad for killing someone who is your own species, now does it? If you think about it like that is kind of like killing a cockroach or a wasp. I don't feel guilty for killing them so why should I feel guilty for killing people who hurt others?"

"You shouldn't and that's the whole point," Bella told her friend.

"Alright," Melissa said finally, "but if I feel to guilty afterwards I'm going to switch."

Jasper listened to his now two favorite girls—one of whom he thought of as a daughter and the other he hoped would soon be his wife—and felt proud of his mate for taking the situation in hand and convincing Melissa to at least try human blood even if she didn't stay on it.

"That's absolutely fine," Jasper assured her. "If you find that you can't bear the guilt of killing someone who after all did use to be your own species than you're welcome to switch to animal blood and I'll teach you how to hunt in the forest that is nearby."

Melissa was quiet after that and it wasn't long before Jasper and Bella both realized that she had fallen asleep.

"Why don't you take a nap, darlin'," Jasper suggested to Bella. "We still have a couple of hours before I stop so you and Melissa can get some lunch, stretch your legs and use the restroom."

"I'm not tired," Bella protested making her statement a lie as she yawned and leaned her head against Jasper's stone hard shoulder that was somehow the most comfortable place to lay her head.

"Sleep now, I'll wake you in a couple of hours," Jasper told her gently and it was only then that he realized that she was already asleep.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

Three days later, at a little bit after 1:00 o'clock p.m. they arrived at Jasper's Montana ranch. Before they had even left the New York Jasper had taken the girls by their apartment and it had only taken them about fifteen minutes to gather the things they couldn't bear to lose as well as clothes and toiletries. After they had done that Jasper had made sure that no one was curious about what they were doing before loading the girls things in the car and then heading to arrange a boating accident so that no one would suspect they were still alive. It was mostly Jasper that had done that as he knew more about what to do for that kind of thing then they did so they let him handle it. It was only two days later that they heard on the radio news that a small speedboat had been discovered stuck on a sandbank with a gaping hole in it's side. All three of its passengers were presumed to be lost overboard as the identification for two of them had been found under one of the benches and then it had been discovered when the employees of the rental company were questioned that it was yet another person that had rented the boat. Jasper had of course used a false name.

During the three days Bella, Melissa and Jasper had been traveling they had all become much closer as they laughed and joked together.

"We're here, Bella, Melissa," Jasper told the girls loud enough to wake them up, but not so loud as to startle them.

"Already," Melissa mumbled sleepily only opening her eyes halfway and yawning so hugely that Jasper was surprised that she didn't at least dislocate her jaw.

Bella on the other hand was immediately awake the minute Jasper said her name and didn't look at all sleepy, but fully aware.

"Look Peter and Charlotte are already here," said Jasper pointing at a car that was parked in front of the house.

Jasper parked the car beside Peter and Charlotte's and as soon as he cut the engine two vampires came out of the house and stood waiting on the porch.

"It's about time you got here, Major. We've been here for two days already," called Peter with a smirk.

"Fuck you, you fucker," Jasper called back with a grin. "I had to drive the speed limit since I had two humans with me and we had to stop for the night and other necessaries."

Both Melissa and Bella got out on the car and just stood there looking at Peter and Charlotte. Peter was a very handsome man of about 25 with shaggy black hair that stuck up just a little at the back, a broad nose, with somewhat bony cheekbones, strong jawline and full plump lips. His wide-set red eyes were sparkling with good humor and his plump lips were upturned in a smile as he greeted his old friend. Charlotte was a gorgeous and looked about 22 or 23 with straight strawberry blonde hair that curled up just a little at the bottom and looked as if it had plenty of volume, a plump top lip, but thinner bottom one, sloping forehead, high cheekbones and slightly fleshy cheeks, giving her an aristocratic look.

"So which one of you is the Bella that Jasper has been telling us about?" asked Charlotte.

"I am," said Bella stepping forward to shake their hands and was surprised when both of them pulled her into a hug which she wasn't expecting in the least.

"Thank you for making our brother so happy," Peter whispered into her ear.

"The pleasure was mine," Bella said truthfully also in a whisper. "I'm sure we will have plenty of time to get to know each other, but for now let me introduce you to my best friend Melissa."

"It's nice to meet you Melissa," said Charlotte also pulling her into a hug.

"It's nice to meet you too, I've heard a lot about you," Melissa replied surprised at the greeting and amazed at herself that she wasn't scared of either of them and considering they were both vampires that was pretty astonishing.

"So Jasper," said Peter stepping of the porch to give his brother a hug, "Are going to tell us what happened to get to humans involved instead of one?"

"There's not really much to tell," Jasper replied. "Let's go inside go and once we have taken showers and changed clothes I'll tell you how it happened. Also I'm sure that Melissa and Bella could use something to eat as we didn't stop for lunch or anything and I'm sure they're starving."

"Me and Peter went to the grocery store just as soon as we got here two days ago," said Charlotte, "so there's plenty of food. Why don't I fix you two lunch while you get your showers and changed."

"You don't have to do that," Melissa protested. "We are capable of fixing our own lunch."

"I don't mind, and it will speed things up so that Jasper can tell us what happened to get you involved in the world of vampires."

Melissa gave in after that and both girls headed inside with Jasper so he could show them where the showers were bringing their clothes from the car at the same time.

"We'll be down in just a few minutes," Bella told Jasper when they were alone just a couple of minutes later giving him a kiss as soon as the door of his bedroom was closed. Jasper's bedroom was very masculine, which only made sense considering there had never been a female in it before and that included Alice as from what Bella understand Alice wouldn't be able to live out in the middle of nowhere miles from civilization and the nearest shopping mall. And that was probably why Jasper came and stayed here for several months every time he couldn't take the Cullens anymore

"We'll be waiting," Jasper said. "Take as much time as you need and don't rush on my account."

There was a sound of protest from downstairs at a volume to low for Bella's still human hearing to pick it up, but Jasper sure did. "I'll wait for you downstairs."

"See you in a few minutes," Bella said already beginning to take off her clothes, which was Jasper's signal to leave before he couldn't control himself and totally forget about Peter and Charlotte waiting downstairs.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

Half an hour later both Bella and Melissa came downstairs dressed in comfortable sweatpants and tank tops of two different colors. Bella's was royal blue and really made her slim muscular body stand out, Melissa's on the other hand was red, a bold fire engine red and fit her body like a second skin.

Charlotte handed the two sandwiches and they sat down starting to eat as Jasper began his tale.

"As I said outside, there really isn't that much to tell," Jasper began. "It all goes back to when I was living with the Cullens..." Jasper told all about what had happened over the last few weeks and about how Alice had had a vision about him being with someone else and how Edward had come along and tried to convince Bella not to become a vampire as he said he didn't want her to lose her soul.

"That it was not any of his business didn't seem to occur to him," Bella commented dryly having finished in her sandwich. "I told him so to his face and he decided that I didn't know what I was getting into and was going to kidnap me until he convinced me to remain human. Like that would have really happened," she muttered

"Edward has always been very stubborn," Charlotte commented. "And before you ask we met all the Cullens several times over the years that Jasper was living with them."

"So what happened to Alice and Edward?" asked Peter.

"Alice finally realized that she had no claim on me considering it was me that found her cheating and I had after all legally divorced her. As for Edward he's a different story altogether," Jasper said.

"Well the pixie had sense after all," Peter said. "I never knew she had it in her."

"Hush," Charlotte ordered him slapping him on the back of the head, although very privately she agreed with her mate, "let Jasper finish his story."

Peter fell silent looking chastised and Jasper had a hard time not chuckling. When he got control of himself he continued telling all that had happened with Edward and how he had ended up as nothing more than a pile of ashes.

"Edward, actually revealed that he was a vampire to a human that was not aware we existed?" asked Peter in complete astonishment. "No offense meant to you Melissa, but we have laws about revealing ourselves to humans for a reason."

"He did, even though Melissa took it as him being completely insane at the time, but unfortunately she had seen me move at vampire speed and so I really had no choice, but to reveal what I was and bring her along."

"I would have figured it out eventually," Melissa admitted. "I'm afraid I'm as curious as a cat and I would have started looking up legends of all kinds trying to figure out what kind of creature could move so fast and had a corpselike pallor."

"Since Bella had already warned me about her curiosity I knew that I had no choice in the matter, not unless I wanted the Volturi on my back anyway," Jasper added. "The kind of curiosity that Melissa possesses would not have allowed her to leave the subject alone until she had discovered what she wanted to know."

"I never thought Edward was stupid until now that is. Immature, stubborn and used to getting his own way yes, but stupid no," commented Charlotte after a moment.

"I bet you that Carlisle wasn't to happy when he discovered what you were going to do to his son," Peter added dryly.

"He was downright pissed," Jasper said just as dryly, "and with good reason. I'm not sure if he was more mad at Edward for being so stupid or at me for enforcing the law."

"A pissed off Carlisle, now that's a strange concept," Peter commented with a chuckle as he imagined Carlisle being pissed.

"So when are you going to bite Bella and Melissa to start the process of being turned into vampires?" Charlotte asked Jasper always practical with a good eye for detail.

"That's their decision," said Jasper. "We could start today or we could wait until next week, but really we shouldn't wait any longer than that. Before we start though you two need to go get at least ten human criminals from town so that we don't have to take them into out to hunt after the transformation is complete. In fact your main job for the next year or so is going to be going into town to get the three of us meals because I need to stay here to watch them."

"So Bella, Melissa do you want to start your transformation today or wait for a few days?" asked Charlotte.

Bella and Melissa look at each other and then Melissa said, "Maybe we had better get started today before I lose my courage."

"You have plenty of courage, Melissa," Peter said as he patted her arm comfortingly. "According to Jasper here you accepted him quite easily when most humans would've been scared to be in the presence of a vampire if they weren't running away screaming in terror that is."

"Well it helped that Bella was there," Melissa admitted. "Bella is my best friend and she trusted Jasper so what choice did I have really? Besides he had kind of just saved my life from that maniac Edward and yes I'm well aware that Edward probably didn't mean me any harm, but that doesn't mean he couldn't've hurt me just because he was so intent on getting his own way and not watching himself around somebody that he could have broken in two without realizing it."

"That's very perceptive," Charlotte complimented her. "I can see we are going to get along just fine after you are a vampire."

"If you're ready why don't we get started?" asked Jasper. Both girls looked at each other and rose to their feet from where they were sitting and headed upstairs together without a word.

"Would you do me a favor, Charlotte?" asked Jasper before he to headed upstairs.

"Of course Jasper what can I do for you?" Charlotte answered.

"Would you stay with Melissa until it is time for you to go to town? I'm going to stay with Bella as I promised I wouldn't leave her side for a moment during her transformation."

"Of course I'd be happy to," Charlotte agreed. "I have a feeling that all three of us girls are going to be great friends."

"Thanks, it is appreciated. I've come to think of Melissa like a daughter just in the short time I've known her and I don't want her waking up alone. Talk to her while she's in the midst of the transformation, that's what I'm going to do with Bella. It doesn't really matter what you talk about just so she knows that someone is there."

"We'll leave the humans in the cellar," Peter commented entering the conversation for the first time since the girls had gone upstairs. "And I really don't think we should start getting humans until they are at least halfway through their transformation as we wouldn't want any of them to starve from hunger now would we?" Peter snickered. "Besides I can tell you from experience that a live, healthy and breathing human is much better than a corpse even if that corpse has only been dead a few minutes."

"You're right, and I won't tell you specifically when to do it so long as they are at least 10 humans waiting for the three of us when the girls are finished their transformations," Jasper told Peter.

"There will be," Peter promised.

"Good," Jasper said, then turned to head upstairs before turning back and adding, "just make sure that they are criminals as that is what both girls want and I can understand not wanting to kill an innocent human as it is the philosophy I follow myself."

"And the one that we follow as well," Charlotte added also heading upstairs to sit with Melissa until it was time to go round up some human criminals for the two new vampires of the house to feed on.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

Jasper knocked on Melissa's door and requested entry.

"Come in," Melissa called and Jasper opened the door to already find Melissa buck naked except for a pair of panties and a bra laying on the bed on her back.

Melissa blushed bright red as Jasper looked at her almost totally naked body as she was only wearing a pair of panties and a bra, but then realized that he wasn't ogling it like he wanted her, but that he was studying her intently making sure she was ready. "Are you ready?" asked Jasper ignoring Melissa's blush politely.

"I'm ready," Melissa said

"Very well then, I will bite you on your neck first at the pulse point, then at each wrist and finally the ankles. The more venom I push into your bloodstream the faster the transformation will take place and the easier it will be."

Melissa gulped then nodded resolutely, "I understand."

"I can see that you do," Jasper said looking at her with pride shining in his eyes at her bravery and her willingness to go through the pain. "I am looking forward to having you as a daughter for the next few centuries."

"A daughter? You think of me as a daughter?" asked Melissa in surprised astonishment tears glistening in her eyes as she hadn't had a father since she was very young.

"Yes, I do think of you as a daughter," Jasper told her wiping her tears away gently. "You will be my daughter not only due to my venom that will be running in your veins but because I have truly come to think of you that way."

"Thanks, that means a lot," Melissa said sniffling a little.

"You are more than welcome," Jasper told her before leaning over her neck and biting down with his razor sharp teeth.

Melissa felt Jasper's teeth pierce her flesh almost gently and felt Jasper take a few swallows of her blood, replacing it with his venom. After a few seconds Jasper raised his head from her neck and then moved to her wrists and did the same thing and then finally he did her ankles.

"I've asked Charlotte to come sit with you and talk to you so that you aren't alone during the transformation," Jasper said just as Melissa at first started whimpering in pain and then began screaming as the venom raced through her system like fire.

Melissa didn't respond verbally and just squeezed his hand to let him know that she understood as she continued to scream from the agony of a vampire's venom changing her.

Jasper left the room and closed the door behind him which muffled Melissa's screams only a little. He immediately headed into his bedroom where he knew his Bella was waiting.

"Are you ready, love?" Jasper asked his Bella as soon as he had entered his bedroom where she was laying on what would now become their bed instead of just his totally naked unlike Melissa had been.

"I'm ready to be yours forever and if turning me into a vampire is the only way that's going to happen then yes, I'm ready," Bella answered calmly even though she could clearly hear Melissa's screams from down the hall.

"I love you Isabella Marie Swan soon to be Bella Whitlock," Jasper told her very sincerely giving Bella her last kiss as a human.

"I love you too, Jasper Whitlock," Bella told him returning the kiss that held so much promise for the future.

After they broke the kiss Jasper leaned down until his teeth were within reach of Bella's neck and bit down so fast it was almost like a serpent striking to kill its prey. Jasper look just five mouthfuls of blood like he had done with Melissa and at the same time made sure that he pushed a lot of his venom into her system. When he raised his head from Bella's neck he immediately bit into her wrists and then her ankles making sure each time he pushed as much of his venom into her bloodstream as he could so that the change would take place faster.

"Your blood tastes absolutely exquisite, darlin', and yet I didn't have any trouble stopping so that I wouldn't drain you dry," Jasper told her as he gave Bella a kiss on the cheek just as she began to scream. It was a sound that was so agonizing to Jasper that he had trouble staying in the room, but he had promised her he would and he wasn't about to break his promise to the woman he loved.

Jasper sat down in a chair that was beside the bed and just started talking to her while holding her hand trying not to listen to her screams although that was impossible considering he was sitting within a foot of where his Bella was laying going through the very painful transformation of turning into a vampire.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

"How's she doing?" inquired Peter as he stuck his head into the room where Jasper was sitting in a chair beside the bed as Bella withered and screamed as Jasper's venom raced through body burning her alive in it's wake. It was over two days later and both her and Melissa's change would be complete in just over twelve more hours. In all that time Jasper had not left her side even once and had continued to talk to her softly using his talent on her in order to sooth her pain as much as he could.

"She's doing well, considering," said Jasper as he had stopped talking to Bella in order to answer Peter's question. Jasper looked truly haggard as he had not fed in all the time that he had been sitting with his mate as she went through her transformation into a vampire. His eyes were black from thirst, he had bags under them as well and the back of his throat was burning something fierce, but he ignored it without a problem as all his attention was focused on the love of his existence.

"I just wanted to let you know that Charlotte and I are going to head into town and started gathering some humans for Bella and Melissa to feed on so that we'll be back in plenty of time before they wake up," Peter told Jasper as he studied Bella from where he was standing by the door and thought that Jasper was spot on when he said that she was doing well considering.

Suddenly another scream ripped the air and Peter wasn't even startled as he had been hearing Bella and Melissa scream for over two days now and it was what all humans did when they were being transformed into vampires for a vampire's venom was almost like poison except instead of killing you it turned you into one of the undead who could only drink blood whether that was animal blood or human. Peter shuddered at the thought of drinking animal blood and didn't know how Jasper had stood it for so many years as that had been a requirement for living with the Cullen coven, which Peter had always thought was very unfair of Carlisle to force the other members of his family to drink only animal blood. Drinking animal blood was fine if that was what you wanted, but to make it a requirement in order to live with the Cullen family was just very one sided. He believed that Carlisle had a right to his beliefs and to make his own choices, but to force it on others, whether or not he had created them was just wrong.

"Just remember what I told you," Jasper reminded his brother distractedly as he continued to soothe his mate's pain with his gift. "Criminals only."

"I remember," Peter promised. "I have already brought a brand new padlock for the cellar on the side of the house and I made sure that it is cleaned out of any objects that the humans could use to attack us. And yes I know that no human can hurt us, but Bella and Melissa will be newborns and we don't want them tearing their dinner limb from limb instead of drinking their blood now do we?"

"I agree that that is what would most likely happen if one of the humans did attack them," Jasper said although it was clear that less than half his attention was on the conversation as he squeezed Bella's hand to let her know that he was still there.

Peter observed this and decided to leave as if was more than clear that Jasper was to distracted at the moment to really pay attention to what he was saying, not that Peter could blame him for if it had been Charlotte that was laying on the bed withering in pain from the transformation he would not have left her side either, not for a moment.

"I'll see you when I get back," Peter promised, but Jasper didn't answer as all his attention was back on the love of his life talking softly to her and leaning down every now and then to pepper her face with kisses.

It was about time that Jasper found a mate, Peter thought as he went to get Charlotte out of Melissa's room so that they could go hunt down some criminals from Billings for the two newborns to feed on when they awoke in a few hours.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

Twelve hours later Jasper continued to talk to Bella and monitor her emotions using his talent to soothe her pain is much as he could. Finally Jasper felt the pain his Bella was in begin to recede and he knew that the end was in sight. Even though he had been talking for three days straight he was not in the least hoarse although he was thirsty and not because of the talking, but because of having to use his talent so much to soothe Bella's pain.

Finally Bella's heart gave just one final beat then stopped while at the same time the pain cut off suddenly and Jasper knew that the transformation was complete. Jasper took a moment to study her and thought that she was even more beautiful then before the transformation and he had always thought that she was gorgeous as a human. As a vampire though she wasn't just gorgeous, but stunningly gorgeous even though he knew that while many men would certainly consider her beautiful they wouldn't consider her gorgeous.

"Bella, love, can you open your eyes for me, please?" Jasper said trying not to sound desperate as Bella had yet to move and normally it didn't take more than a few seconds for a new vampire to open their eyes and start looking around for danger. At the sound of his voice Bella opened her eyes and stared at him and at first Jasper didn't see any hint of recognition, but then slowly as she studied his face recognition began to seep into into her newly red eyes.

"Jasper?" asked Bella her voice at least an octave lower then before and and also throatier and Jasper thought sexier, than it had been as a human although he had always thought she'd had beautiful voice.

Soppily in love aren't you? the Major taunted him in his mind. You're pathetic!

And you're are not? In love that is? You have actually been tender and loving ever since meeting her when you never had felt such emotions before and I know why that is. It is because you know very well that you couldn't live without her anymore then I could so shut up! Jasper said sarcastically making it clear that he knew the demon part of his personality loved Bella just as much as he did.

The Major fell silent having to concede that Jasper had him dead to rights as he couldn't deny that he did love Bella, which as in itself was astonishing as he had never loved anybody at all and didn't really care about anyone except himself.

"You remember me then, love?" asked Jasper as calmly as he possibly could although on the inside he was jumping up and down in joy and relief.

Bella seemed confused for a moment but then her confusion disappeared and she said, "Yes, you are my mate and you discovered me when I was human and then you bit me to transform me into one of your kind so we could be together?" The statement of fact came out as more of a question as if Bella was not completely sure of what her memories—which would very likely be kind of foggy and unclear—were telling her.

Relief flitted across Jasper's expression, "I was afraid you wouldn't remember me at all as sometimes that happens during a transformation, especially if it has been particularly violent."

"How could I not remember you, even if most of my memories are a little foggy?" asked Bella looking into his nearly black eyes, which meant that he had been denying himself blood until she had finished her change. "You talk to me for all three days of my transformation denying yourself and if that isn't a sign of love I don't know what is. Besides the minute I saw you I felt the mating bond, that I seem to remember you telling me about as a human, snap into existence and it is at least 1,000 times stronger then from what I can remember of it then when I was human if my memories are at all trustworthy."

Jasper kissed her, long and hard and when he finally released her Bella looked dazed, which made Jasper smirk in satisfaction. "Good, it should be at least 1000 times as strong now that you are a vampire."

"Try at least 5,000 or even 10,000 times as strong," Bella commented dryly.

"Not to change the subject, but do you remember you best friend Melissa?"

Bella was silent for a moment then nodded slowly as she really did remember her best friend and almost sister.

"Well, she has finished the transformation and is very thirsty as I can feel her thirst radiating from here. So shall we go and see her and then go get you two your first meal as vampires?"

Bella nodded eagerly as her throat was burning something fierce and if her throat was burning she was sure Melissa's was as well, especially since she had been awake a few minutes longer since she had been bitten first.

Jasper gave her a brief kiss on the lips before breaking away and rising to his feet.

Bella whimpered at the loss of Jasper's lips on hers but her throat was burning so fiercely that she somehow instinctively knew that if she did not feed soon she would be speeding into the nearest town and attacking the first human she saw.

"Let's go," Bella said getting up from the bed at vampire speed not even realizing what she was doing as it was instinctive.

"You have to be careful to move at human speed love until it is instinctive. We can't have a human seeing you moving as fast as a speeding bullet, now can we?" Jasper teased his mate gently.

Bella didn't respond but concentrated on moving slowly so that she would get used to moving at human speed.

"Come on," Jasper said as he led the way out the door and down the hall to Melissa's room. Jasper opened Melissa's door without knocking and asked Charlotte, "Is Melissa ready to feed?"

Melissa looked at Jasper and when she saw the scars that covered his wrists and arms she immediately shrank back in fear, but after a moment when Jasper made no move to attack her a hint of recognition seemed to come into her eyes. Jasper stood stock-still not making any sudden moves that Melissa would consider threatening and eventually she came forward enough so that he could see the recognition in her now red eyes that told him she knew that he would not hurt her even though her newborn instincts were telling her to either fight or flee.

"Yes, I'm ready to feed," Melissa answered her voice almost musical. "More than ready as my throat feels as if it's on fire."

"That's only natural," Jasper told her daring to move now that he was sure Melissa was not going to either attack or flee from him. "Once you feed for the first time that will go away. If you'll follow me I'll take you to where we are keeping the humans so that you can get your first meal as vampires. Does Peter have the key to the cellar?" Jasper asked Charlotte just as they were leaving the room to go downstairs.

"Yes, he does, and he should be waiting for you at the cellar door."

"Thank you Charlotte and thank you for staying with Melissa for most of her transformation," Jasper told her knowing the only time she had left was to help Peter get criminals from town, which would have taken at least several hours as they would have been careful not to be seen. Jasper sent her his gratitude.

"You're more than welcome, brother dear," Charlotte told him giving him a kiss on the cheek.

Jasper led the way downstairs and out the front door and towards the old root cellar that was dug into the ground on the south side of the house.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

It didn't take more then a couple of minutes to reach the root cellar where Peter was waiting with the keys. Jasper took the keys from his brother and unlocked the padlock chain that kept the cellar door closed.

"You can go back to the house if you want or you can wait for us," Jasper told his brother. "I won't need you to handle a few humans."

"I think I'll go back to the house," Peter decided.

"That's fine, we shouldn't be more then an hour and probably not that long."

Jasper watched as Peter sped away and when he was out of sight he opened the cellar doors and allowed Melissa and Bella to enter first before he followed them.

The second that Bella and Melissa smelled the sweet, intoxicating scent of human blood they were down the stairs and latched onto their first meals within milliseconds their instincts taking over.

"Who are you?" asked one of the men standing as far away from Bella, Melissa and Jasper as he could get, not that that was very far as the cellar wasn't that large.

"I would think that would be obvious," Jasper mocked. "What do you think we are?"

"Cannibals?" suggested a woman in a terrified whisper as she scooted as far away from the three of of them as she could.

"Do they look like they're eating flesh?" Jasper asked his amused tone of voice telling the woman that had thought they were cannibals that she had been wrong even if he didn't actually say the words, just as Bella and Melissa released their first kills and let them drop to the floor not caring where they landed now that all the delicious, luscious blood was drained from them.

It was only seconds later that Melissa and Bella without saying a word were latched onto their second kills and Jasper watched them as they drained the two humans, a man and a woman, as well, not needing any instructions on how to feed.

Once Jasper was sure that Bella and Melissa knew what to do he made his own selection—the man who had been so rude to him just a minute go ironically enough—and not even the man backing away from him in order to escape caused Jasper more then a moment of amusement as he corralled him into a corner at vampire speed and had his teeth latched onto his neck within seconds. It didn't take him long to drain that man and Jasper dropped him where he stood and eagerly looked around for another prospect as he was still thirsty. Before he made his selection he checked on Bella and Melissa and found Melissa standing off to the side looking very satisfied while Bella had her teeth latched onto another human's neck and was eagerly draining her dry. This would more than likely be her last, Jasper thought selecting his own human to drain.

By the time Jasper and Bella were done just a few minutes later there were only a couple of humans left that Jasper thought that Peter and Charlotte might want as a meal and if not they could just remain here until Melissa or Bella was hungry again in just a couple of days.

"You going to let us go?" asked one woman sounding hopeful.

"No, I'm afraid not," Jasper told the woman with an absolutely evil smirk, sniggering at her expression which had gone from hopeful to total despair all in the space of a few seconds. "I'm sure my friends Peter and Charlotte can make a meal off you two and if not it will only be a couple of days before Bella and Melissa will be hungry again and need more blood, so don't expect to live very long."

"What are you?" asked the one remaining man.

"I would think that would be obvious by now, sir," Melissa answered while smirking at him.

"We are vampires of course," Melissa and Bella answered together.

Before the man or woman could retort the three exited the cellar and Jasper made sure to lock the padlock chain behind him.

"Have a good meal?" asked Jasper the two young woman.

"It was absolutely delicious," Melissa answered licking her lips to get the last drop of blood. "If I wasn't so full I'd go drink another one," she added.

"Good," Jasper said glad that Melissa at least for the moment wasn't displaying any signs of guilt for taking human lives. "And you, my mate? Did you enjoy your first taste of human blood?" Jasper asked coming to walk beside Bella with Melissa on the other side. He knew that she had as he had kept an eye on hers and Melissa's emotions the whole time and both had been lost in pure ecstasy the second the blood had touched their tongues.

"It was absolutely scrumptious," Bella assured Jasper as she gave him kiss on the cheek.

"Alright that was exactly the response I expected," Jasper said, pleased.

"So now that we have had our first taste of human blood what are we going to do now?" asked Bella.

"You and Melissa are going to do your best to learn to control your new strength. You could easily break things that no human could if you aren't careful. You could break the doorknob off the door or even pull the door off its hinges completely for instance without really thinking about it or you could turn whatever portion of the porch railing you are touching into little bits of splintered wood and that is just examples. Actually I didn't expect to be able to start this portion of your training for at least the next three months as I figured you wouldn't even be aware of what was going on around you until you got used to the changes that your brain and your body went through."

"So why are we so self-aware again instead of like your typical newborns?" asked Bella tilting her head to the side curiously just as she had done when she was human, which Jasper found one of her most endearing and lovable qualities.

"I'm not absolutely sure as I've never come across this particular situation before, but I figure it's because you knew for a few weeks anyway that vampires existed. I'm sure you'll still have a lot of the same issues that all newborns have, but you do seem to be more coherent and self-aware then any other newborn I've ever changed."

"What other issues can we expect...well besides having to watch ourselves so we don't turn everyday objects into powder?" asked Melissa.

"Well for at least the next year you're thirst is going to be out-of-control and you will need fresh blood every other day. It's kind of like being a teenage boy as they always seem to be hungry until they reach a certain age and have finished growing for example."

"Any other problems?" asked Bella.

"Well, you are going to have to be careful if you hug any of us for the next year or so."

"Why?" asked Melissa.

"Because as a newborn vampire you are twice as strong as an older vampire and you could seriously hurt one of us if you squeezed us to hard. We would heal of course, once we drank some blood, but that doesn't mean it wouldn't be painful until we did." Bella and Melissa nodded not looking at all disturbed at his explanation Jasper continued looking pleased at how well they appeared to be taking to the life of a vampire at least so far. "Once your newborn year is over your strength will have faded to what is normal for our kind. Also you will have to get used to your enhanced sight, smelling and hearing abilities as now you will hear every little creak that the ranch house makes. For example a creak that would not even be noticed by a human will be a major annoyance to our supersensitive hearing. If you think a little squeak is annoying just wait until you go into a major population center. Also not only will your hearing be overwhelmed so will your sense of smell and your sight. The colors to your new, improved vampire sight will be much brighter and you will be able to see more colors than a human can.

Also you will be able to tell the difference in what appears to be two of the same color to a human will a lot of times not look like the same to our enhanced vampire eyesight, even if it is a very subtle difference that a human wouldn't notice without some very specialized equipment. Our eyes are simply far superior to a humans, no matter how many devices they have to help them see better and at a distance. Can't you tell?" Jasper added, "just out here you have the blue of the sky, the green of what little grass there is, the yellowish brown of the desert sand."

"Now that you mention it the colors seem much sharper and clearer," Bella said thoughtfully as she looked at the sand under her feet and then at the blue sky.

"And why are we sparkling?" Melissa added for the first time noticing that the skin of her arm was sparkling like millions of tiny crystals was embedded in her skin.

"Because vampires sparkle in bright sunlight, which is why I never wanted to go outside if the sun was shining and why we were always going out at night instead of the daytime or why we only went out when it was cloudy," Jasper told her in a matter-of-fact tone.

"You're joking right?" asked Melissa as she looked at Jasper in astonishment as if she couldn't quite believe what he was telling her.

"I'm afraid not," Jasper told her to sympathetically. "Our kind is nothing like the myths, the books or the movies that humans have made up about us. About the only thing that they got right was the fact that we have to drink blood in order to live. We do not sleep coffins, we do not turn into bats, we do not turn into ashes if we go out in the sunlight and we are not all so evil that we don't care who we feed on so long as we are sated."

"I have to admit that some of the books and movies are pretty silly now that you mention it."

"And now that you know the actual reality of life of a vampire," Jasper suggested with a smile that reached all the way to his eyes.

"Something like that yeah," Melissa admitted immediately smiling back.

The three of them approached the house and entered Jasper opening the door so that Bella or Melissa wouldn't accidentally rip it off its hinges.

"All done?" asked Peter rhetorically.

"Yes and we actually left you and Charlotte a couple," Bella told Peter cheekily.

"That was, very nice of you two," said Charlotte smiling as she came into the room. "Most newborns will not share what they consider their food and would rather tear the human apart if they are full then give them to another vampire even after they are out of their newborn stage."

"So we are unusual, which is nothing new," Melissa said with a wide grin giving Charlotte a careful hug, which Charlotte returned gladly. Charlotte had a feeling that she and Melissa and Bella were going to be very good friends and maybe like sisters.

"I guess you and me need to go take care of the bodies before they begin to decompose," Peter told Charlotte as he watched with happiness in his eyes as Bella and Melissa accepted his wife as part of their group.

"What do you do with the bodies, anyway?" asked Bella as she came back to stand by Jasper.

"Well since we are out in the middle of nowhere we bury him," Jasper replied putting an arm around Bella shoulders. "When we go hunting in the city disposing of a body will be different."

"Where exactly this ranch located?" asked Melissa.

"We're about twenty miles outside of Billings actually which is also the largest city in Montana with just over 100,000 residents."

Peter and Charlotte came back just then having disposed of the eight dead bodies that had been in the cellar and then feeding off the two humans who remained also burying of them afterwards.

"All the evidence taken care of, Major," Peter told his brother. "Those bodies are buried so far out in the desert that they will never be found."

"Good," Jasper approved already having known that he could already count on Peter and Charlotte to leave not even a scrap of evidence behind.

"So what's next?" asked Charlotte.

"Well as I was just telling Melissa and Bella they need to learn how to control their strength until it becomes instinctive before they destroy the whole house."

"So you want the usual?" asked Peter.

"The usual will be fine," Jasper told his friend. Bella and Melissa looked back and forth from Jasper to Peter to Charlotte wondering what the usual was.

"What's that usual?" Bella asked the obvious question.

"The usual is that we bring you a log and then we give you an axe and you use it to chop up the log. The trick is to remember not to use vampire strength on the axe or you will destroy it and also you have to do all this at human speed until it becomes instinctive for you to do so."

"That doesn't sound too hard," Melissa commented.

Peter, Charlotte and Jasper laughed, and Charlotte said, "It's harder than it sounds trust me as I went through the same thing and I had a hard time remembering not to grip the axe to hard as I crushed several axe handles into sawdust. Also it's a lot harder not to use vampire speed to do the chopping as you really need to concentrate at using a normal human pace."

"It will probably take you at least a couple of weeks in order to get the knack of not crushing everything you touch when you aren't thinking about it. Sometimes it takes longer or shorter, of course depending on the vampire," said Jasper. "When you can grip the axe handle for hours at a time without crushing it only then will we take you to the next part of your training, but in the meantime you need to avoid touching things like books as you will rip them to shreds without meaning to simply because books to one of our kind are very delicate as it's only paper after all. It will take you at least a year if not two or possibly three before you can touch something like that without ripping the pages. More solid objects will be easier for you learn how to handle without crushing them or tearing into pieces."

"Sounds like a lot of work," Melissa said.

"I will not lie to you it is a lot of work," Jasper said, "but it will be worth it as you eventually will learn how to control your strength and your other abilities without even really thinking about it."

Bella sincerely hoped that it wasn't going to be two or three years before she and Jasper could have sex because if it was she would go absolutely insane with sexual tension and frustration if that was the case. She could already feel the sexual tension curling in her belly every time Jasper even looked her way with those beautiful red eyes and handsome face of his.

"Why don't we get started?" asked Jasper looking at Bella sending his feelings to let her know he knew exactly how she felt.

When the others had gone outside, Jasper turned to Bella and said, "Trust me it won't be long before we will make that mating bond complete, and believe me I feel the same things you do."

"How long are we talking about specifically?" asked Bella as she came over to him and put her head on his shoulder, "Because my body already feels like it's about to burst from sexual tension. It's bad enough that we haven't had sex in three days because of my change but much longer and I will not be around to complete that mating bond because I will have exploded quite literally and all that will be left of me is a spot on the ceiling."

Jasper laughed and gave her a heartstopping kiss so she had no doubt about how he felt about her. "It won't be more than a couple of days," Jasper promised her huskily when he broke the kiss.

"A couple of days?" Bella whined plaintively. "You expect me to wait a couple of days when I already feel as if I'm going to explode just from the tension that is curling in my belly?"

"A couple of days is no time at all, my sweet Bella," Jasper told her, "as normally you would have to wait at least until your newborn stage was over with, but since you are so much more aware of what's going on around you it will be much sooner then it normally would be. Now we had better get outside before Peter comes looking for us and trust me he will if we don't show up in the next few minutes because he will want to catch us in the act so to speak."

Bella groaned and rolled her eyes but gave in with a resigned sigh and headed outside with her hand in Jasper's much larger one.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

Two days later Peter and Charlotte went into town to get them some more humans although now that they knew exactly how much Bella and Melissa were going to eat there wouldn't be any extras like there had been that first time.

As for Jasper he didn't need to eat every couple of days like a newborn just every week or so, so he would not be joining the two women for a meal this time like he had the last time and there was no need to stand over them or to guard them as no mere human would be able to injure a vampire.

Jasper watched as the two young women's sped towards the cellar that was on the south side of the house and followed them just to guard the cellar entrance in case one of the humans got past Bella and Melissa, not that was very likely, but still it was a possibility however slight.

As Jasper stood outside the entrance to the root cellar he heard the sounds of Bella and Melissa talking trying to decide which human looked the most appetizing. In fact they made it into a kind of game. Jasper chuckled to himself and decided that this was no bad thing as some friendly competition was good for the soul, just so long as it didn't get out of hand.

Finally the sounds disappeared and Jasper took that mean that they had each had made there decisions and were feeding, either that are they had decided that they were too thirsty to continue the competition.

It was only a minutes later that Jasper heard the sounds of them coming towards the cellar door and if he hadn't been a vampire just like them he never would've heard them as they were moving almost silently and their footsteps were way below the level of human hearing.

"Well it's nice to see you two with red eyes again," Jasper said as he pulled Bella to him and gave her a kiss. When he was done with that you gave Melissa a hug as well but instead of kissing her on the lips he gave her a one on the cheek instead just like a father would a daughter.

"At least our throats have stopped burning," Melissa said as she took comfort in Jasper embrace knowing that he loved her not romantically, but as a father. "As much as I love draining humans as their blood is the best thing I have ever eaten it's kind of an annoyance to have to feed every couple of days or at least it is for me."

"I know," Jasper said in understanding, "believe me I sympathize as I remember that time well when I had to hunt every few days, but it will soon pass in just a year or so or possibly two. A year or even ten is nothing to one of our kind."

The three of them continued talking until they got back to the house and Jasper let Bella open the door as she was the one that had had the most success at least so far as controlling her new vampire strength. Of course she also had plenty of incentive because Jasper had told her that until she learned to at least partly control her strength they would not be able to make love as they would render the bed to splinters. Bella hadn't really thought about the fact that it didn't matter if they did as they could always get a new one and that more than likely they would be buying beds every few years anyways just because sometimes their kind could get lost in passion and later realize that they had destroyed the bed they were laying in. Jasper was sure that eventually it would occur to Bella that they could always buy a new bed as it wasn't like they didn't have the money to do so, but for now Bella was still trying to get used to her new body and abilities and so it probably wouldn't occur to her for months yet.

Bella had realized almost immediately that he was bribing her, but she had risen to the challenge beautifully without a word of complaint, which made Jasper very proud. It wasn't that he wasn't ready to make her his for all time and complete the bond, but he had had to make sure that she was truly aware of what it would mean and also make sure she was really ready, so as much as it truly, deeply pained him to wait he had. If the truth be known he was way past ready for her to claim him and for him to claim her as every time he looked at her or smelled her scent he was nearly driven wild with lust and desire and the worst thing was at least in his book was that Bella had known exactly what she was doing to him.

"So what now?" Bella asked innocently, a little too innocently, Jasper thought seeing the mischievousness and desire in her eyes.

"Now, my little minx, we go upstairs to our bedroom and do exactly what both of us have been waiting a long time for."

Bella's eyes flashed with lust and desire as soon as she heard Jasper's words then remembered the other three people in the house. "What about Melissa and the others?"

"They know better than to bother us unless it's an emergency," Jasper told his mate as he picked her up and raced up the stairs to their bedroom unwilling to wait another second to claim her by biting her as he had desired her ever since he had saved her from that rapist in that alley in New York. "I've already had a word with Peter and Charlotte and they will keep Melissa distracted for the next couple of days until you two need to feed again. It might be better to wait another month or so, but even vampires are not made out of steel and I have desired to mark you and have you mark me ever since I met you. Besides the Major is tired of waiting and it is not a good thing when he gets impatient. If truth be known he has been wanting me to claim you ever since you finished your transformation and he thinks I am taking to long so if I don't do something soon he is going to take matters into his own hands and claim you even if it is without your consent."

"It doesn't really matter to me which one of you claims me since you're both technically the same man," Bella told Jasper already buck naked as he laid her on the bed. Somehow between racing up the stairs and into the bedroom Jasper had managed to get her clothes off without ripping them. How he had done it Bella had no idea as it had only taken a few seconds to get to the bedroom. However it had been done it was still a very neat trick.

"Don't be surprised if the Major shows up as he has been wanting you even worse then I have if that is possible," Jasper warned her as he gently began to caress her body. "I try to keep the Major well contained, but ever since I met you he's been a lot harder to control. Now we can continue this discussion at another time as I am more than ready to make you mine permanently and for eternity."

"Then do it!" Bella ordered harshly as she could already feel her climax building just from the way Jasper was gently kneading one of her breast and stroking her inner right thigh with his free hand. It didn't take much at all for her to orgasm as Jasper knew just what to do to get her body to respond quickly.

"This first time is going to be rough and I'm sorry about that," Jasper told her as he could feel the Major beginning to take over his personality.

Jasper quickly put one of his knees between her thighs holding them apart and then not even having the time to prepare her properly he rammed the general into her pussy that was already very wet and ready for his entrance. "You are so wet and so tight," Jasper groaned in ecstasy as he entered her. "I feel as if I have finally come home."

"You are welcome to your home as often as you like," Bella panted. "You are welcome to fuck me up, down, sideways or with me standing on my head if that is what you want."

In his head the Major crowed in triumph and Jasper slammed himself home several more times, each time being hard enough that if Bella had still been human he would have ruptured something inside her and probably killed her or at least put her in the hospital.

On the fifth thrust Jasper could hold the Major back no more and he released his seed into her as well as leaning down in a lightning fast strike and biting the right side of Bella's neck marking her as his for all time, while Bella bit down hard on his left shoulder also claiming him as hers and no one else's.

Once the sting of the two marks subsided Jasper withdrew the general which immediately stood at attention again and began to make slow and gentle love to his now claimed mate with the Major still crowing in triumph in his head. Bella participated enthusiastically and brought him to just as many climaxes and orgasms as he brought her. It was an undetermined amount of time later that Jasper finally laid back with a satisfied sigh, fully sated and Bella rolled over until her whole body was laying on his chest.

"Well the bond is complete and it will slowly mature over the next 10 years or so until it is so deep and true that we will almost seem to be able to read each others thoughts or know what the other is going to do without them having to say the words," Jasper said after moment as he gently stroked Bella hair and back.

"Can we do it again?" asked Bella who would never have enough of her man to feel completely sated. They could make love 10,000 times and still she would want to do it again and again and again. Having him buried inside her was like nothing she had ever felt before not even when Jasper had made love to her as a human could the two feelings compare. She was sure it was partly due to the fact that Jasper had been forced to be a lot gentler with her when she had been human or he very well could have killed her, but now they could both be as rough or as gentle as they liked as she wasn't fragile or breakable anymore.

"As much as you want, if you want to spend the next month in bed in between feeds I will support that plan quite enthusiastically," Jasper said sounding lazy and completely sated.

"What time is it? In fact what day is it?" Bella asked as she began to feel the burn in the back of her throat that told her that it was almost time for her to feed again.

"You will have to feed again in just a few hours as it has almost been two days."

"I can tell that just from the burn in my throat," said Bella her voice muffled as her face was laying against Jasper's shoulder. "It isn't too bad yet, but I know in a few hours it will be."

"I hope I didn't hurt you too bad when I slammed myself into you like that," Jasper said feeling guilty now that the Major was back in his cage where he belonged.

"I've told you several times that it doesn't matter to me how rough you are as my demon was screaming at me to tell you to be as rough as you felt like you needed to be. You have to realize that I am no longer a breakable human as I am now just as indestructible as you are. Besides sometimes a little pain mixed with pleasure is titillating. You also have to remember that it wasn't just you that claimed me, but I claimed you as well and what that means Mr. Whitlock is that you are now mine to do with as I please and if I feel like telling you to hang by your feet upside down from the ceiling you will obey."

Bella giggled it Jasper's expression, which looked like a mix between being stunned and amused.

"My point is that we now belong to each other and that we are equals with equal rights and responsibilities. Not master and servant. Besides did you feel anything in my emotions that told you I didn't enjoy every minute of you being rough and slamming yourself into me so hard that I am sure if I was still human you would have raptured several of my organs."

Jasper relaxed at Bella's little speech and admitted that no he had not felt anything in her emotions that indicated that she had not enjoyed herself completely. In fact her emotions had been ones of pure pleasure and ecstasy as well as satisfaction mixed with a little pain, but not enough to overtake her pleasure. "Alright you're right, I'll quit apologizing for being rough with you as sometimes I know that our species is just like that and that we enjoy it. Why that is so I do not know, but occasionally the animal part of us will overtake the human part, especially when it comes to hunting or mating."

"Good, now as much as I would like to continue this we need to get downstairs so that Peter and Charlotte can go into town to get us a meal because if my throat is starting to burn I'm sure Melissa's is to."

"You're right," Jasper said as he got up as soon as Bella had moved off his chest. "Let's get dressed and head downstairs.

"Your wish is my command, oh Master," Bella told him teasingly, which caused Jasper to shake his head and roll his eyes in fake annoyance while inside he was laughing his head off at Bella's antics.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

"It's about time you got your asses down here," Peter said as soon as Jasper and Bella appeared. The smack that Charlotte gave to the back of Peter's head was almost predictable. Jasper and Bella laughed at Peter's predicament but on the other hand if he would learn not to open his mouth before he thought he wouldn't get smacked so much.

"Ow! What was that for?" asked Peter as he pouted in Charlotte's direction.

Charlotte rolled her eyes and then replied, "You know perfectly well what it was for so I shouldn't have to tell you."

"Where is Melissa?" asked Bella as she started looking around for her friend.

"She's up in her room listening to some music. Can't you hear it?" Charlotte answered. "I made sure I turned it on for her, so that she wouldn't destroy the CD player by pushing the buttons to hard."

"So what have you three been during for the last couple of days?" asked Bella.

"We've been continuing to train, Melissa and she's also mostly gotten ahold of her strength although she still tends to crush things if she's not thinking about what she's doing," Peter said having quit pouting. "She has gotten a lot better though and eventually she will get the hang of it. Both of us are really proud of her as she's been working really hard at it."

"I hope she's not upset at me for abandoning her," Bella said looking worried.

"She's not," Charlotte assured her. "We explained all about your mating bond and how it works, although she already knew a lot of it from Jasper."

"Good," Bella said relieved. "I think I'll go up and talk to her for a while since I haven't seen her in almost two days."

"While you do that Peter and me need to go into town and get you and Melissa some humans to drain," said Charlotte as she finally noticed that Bella eyes were almost all black, which meant that her throat must be starting to burn something fierce. "By the way congratulations you two," she added giving Jasper a hug and a kiss on the cheek and then doing the same for Bella. "It's really about time you found someone to spend the rest of your existence with," she mock scolded her brother.

"My only regret is that she wasn't born years ago," Jasper admitted as he put his arm around Bella's shoulders. "Unfortunately fate seems to have had a different idea and wanted me to get married to that bitch Alice."

"I thought you had forgiven Alice," Bella asked him with a raised eyebrow.

"And I have, mostly," Jasper admitted. "On the other hand I can't help but regret all those wasted years that I spent with her."

"They weren't really wasted you know," Bella told him. "Would you have been civilized enough to even recognize me as your mate at all had you not spent so many years with the Cullens? You told me once that after you escaped from Maria that you were wild almost feral and just fed off any human that crossed your path if you were thirsty. Are you sure that you wouldn't have just drained me if you hadn't spent so long under the Cullens influence, especially Carlisle's?"

Jasper thought about it for a long time just sitting in a chair in the den with Bella on his lap. Finally he said, "I believe you might be right although there is no way to know for certain. I was pretty wild and feral for years after I escaped from Maria, always looking over my shoulder and I don't know if I would've stayed that way or gradually have become more human, there's really no way of knowing. Perhaps finding Alice or her finding me was a good thing after all even though she hurt me a lot when I discovered that she and Edward had been cheating on me almost from the very beginning."

"But now you have me," Bella purred seductively, "and I will never leave or cheat on you with someone as unworthy as Edward or with anybody for that matter."

"I know it and even the Major knows it," Jasper said. "Thanks to you my long silent heart is finally whole again. I walked around with this hole in my heart for the last few years after I found out that Alice was cheating on me but you have healed it completely just by being who you are and accepting me for who I am."

"You don't really love someone or at least not the way they should be loved if you try to change them," Bella said sounding as if she was quoting something she had read. "If you really love someone you should be willing to change for them but it can't be forced or it isn't real love as it has to be a voluntary change."

"You are very wise," Jasper told her giving her a long kiss on the lips. "Now maybe you had better go check on Melissa just to make sure she's okay."

"Okay," Bella agreed. "I meant to go do that and then you distracted me, which you're very good at by the way as you do it without even trying."

Bella got up from where she was sitting on Jasper's lap, kissed his cheek and headed for the stairs concentrating on using human speed.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

"You doing okay, Lissa?" Bella asked as soon as she had opened Melissa's bedroom door without bothering to knock.

Melissa looked up from where she was just laying with eyes closed listening to what Bella knew was her favorite music station. "I'm doing just fine although I am getting a little bored just listening to music. I can't read because I don't dare touch a book or I would rip it into paper confetti in a split second without meaning to. Also training all the time so that I can control my strength is not all it's cracked up to be as I tend to forget that I am now strong enough to crush a rock in a powder without putting much effect into it."

Bella winced at that knowing very well what Melissa was talking about as she had done the same thing more than once during her first couple of days until she had forced yourself to remember that she was now strong enough to break a human's bones and turn them into nothing but power without even using most of her strength and if she could do that then she could definitely crush a rock into nothing but rock dust without much effect at all.

"Well Peter and Charlotte should be coming back soon with a meal for both of us and probably Jasper as well," Bella told her friend coming to sit on the side of the bed being careful to sit very carefully so as not to cause it to disintegrate as that was a very real possibility if she sat down as hard as she could. Her body was now stone hard after all and not soft as it had been as a human.

"So are you and Jasper going to spend the next two days in bed after you have finished feeding?" asked Melissa sounding merely curious but Bella knew she was asking if her friend was going to leave her on her own again."

"We didn't mean to abandon you, Melissa," Bella told her friend pulling her friend into a hug. "But when you are mated there are certain demands that must be met or you will be in for a whole load of trouble."

"What do you mean?" asked Melissa.

"Remember when Charlotte explained to you about how the mating bond works and how we had to bite each other in order to fulfill the bond?"

"Yeah so?" asked Melissa.

"Well until we did that we each felt as if we were going to explode from sexual tension if nothing else." Bella was really glad that she couldn't blush anymore as talking about this kind of thing even with her best friend was not something she usually did as it was just to embarrassing and she was a very private person when it came to talking about her love life. "Even now that we have claimed each other and are fully bonded the way the bond works is that you want each other a lot and it is extremely hard to keep your hands to yourself for at least the first 5 to 10 years. After that although you will always want and need each other the desire is more easily controlled and it also tapers off a little to where it is easier to keep your hands to yourself when you are out in public. From what I understand from Jasper, mated couples make love more than any human couple that I have ever heard of."

"How would he know he's never been mated until he met you, married yes, mated, no?" Melissa asked with a raised eyebrow.

"No he's never been mated, but Peter and Charlotte are and so are Rosalie and Emmett who live with the Cullens and were changed by Carlisle. He did live with the Cullens for a lot of years and he saw how Rose and Emmett could barely keep their hands off each other even though they had been mated for several decades. Of course that was partly due to the fact that Rosalie didn't care who saw her and Emmett."

Melissa snickered at that.

"So feel better now?" asked Bella.

"Yes, I realize now that you aren't abandoning me when you and Jasper want to go off and be alone with each other as it is the mating bond at work."

"It is partly the bond, but also partly the fact that we love each other very much and that the only way to express that love is through the joining of our bodies. Jasper and I will try to spend some more time with you so that you don't feel left out."

"That would be nice, but don't go to any trouble on my account. Besides Peter and Charlotte are good company even if Peter does like to pull pranks on me."

"Oh does he now?" asked Bella amused.

"He does," Melissa said.

"Like what?" asked Bella, curiously.

Melissa begin to describe some of the pranks that Peter had pulled on her and Bella laughed so hard that she was surprised when her ribs and sides didn't ache from it, but then she remembered that she was now a vampire and that she would never get cramps from laughing so hard again.

"Jasper has already warned me about Peter's pranking and so I've managed to avoid his pranks so far although I don't expect that to continue now that Jasper and I have come up for air."

"You know how I got my revenge?" asked Melissa with a smile that was positively evil.

"How?" asked Bella curiously.

"I snuck up on him and I pulled one of his arms off refusing to give it back to him until he had apologized. Of course it helped that Charlotte was very nice about distracting him for me. I believe that she was just as annoyed about his pranks as I was. Also I think he forgot that I am a newborn and so therefore was capable of using my newborn strength to get past his guard no matter how much experience he has in fighting and it helps that he doesn't want to hurt me since I am now family. Being strong sure has come in useful it's too bad that it will only last a year."

Bella winced at Melissa's explanation. "Remind me never to get you that mad at me. Even if I know you can reattach a limb it still hurts like hell when you pull it off not to mention dripping venom all over the floor or at least that is what Jasper said."

"The big baby actually sobbed when I pulled off his limb, though I know he has more than likely lost several limbs over the years only to have them reattached later."

"That doesn't mean it doesn't hurt—a lot—every time it happens," Bella said dryly.

"That's true," Melissa admitted. "I was actually feeling sorry for him until Charlotte slapped him on the back of the head and told him to quit faking to gain my sympathy and that he had deserved it."

"So Peter obviously got his arm reattached as I just saw him, my question though is did he do it himself or did you and Charlotte help him?" asked Bella curiously.

"We helped him but only after all we made him promise to quit with so many practical jokes. There's nothing wrong with a few of them every once in a while but he was just getting out of line by doing them one after the other. He's probably pulled at least 15 or 20 practical jokes on me in the last two days while you and Jasper were otherwise occupied."

"Your right Peter was out of line," said Bella frowning. "There's nothing wrong as you said with pulling one every now and then but to pull so many in such a short time is just ridiculous."

"And so Charlotte informed him," Melissa said with a giggle.

"What's so funny, Lissa?" asked Bella.

"What's so funny is the Charlotte really gave him a piece of her mind and she has a very sharp tongue when she has to."

"Ohhh, so she flayed the skin off him with her tongue, did she?" Bella asked with a smirk.

Melissa nodded. "She sure did and he looked like he had been put through the wringer before she was done."

"I'm not saying that he didn't deserve it," Bella said, "I think he did actually as he just went a little bit too far, but I certainly wouldn't want my own mate to flay me practically to the bone for doing something so incredibly stupid that he should've known better then to do."

"In a way I think him playing so many practical jokes is his way of saying that he likes us and welcome to the family," Melissa said, "although there are other and more constructive ways to do that."

"Like when he doesn't lose a limb?" Bella suggested dryly.

"Exactly," said Melissa smirking in satisfaction just as a hand went to my throat as it was now burning quite fiercely and a lot worse then it had been just an hour and a half or so ago. "I hope that Peter and Charlotte hurry because my throat is getting much worse and I'm sure yours is too."

"Now that you mention it," said Bella her own hand going to her throat as it too was burning something fierce. "I wish you hadn't said anything because I hadn't noticed it until you said something."

"Sorry," Melissa apologized sincerely.

"Well, too late now, what's done is done," said Bella waving her hand as if to say that it didn't matter at all.

They both talked for a few more minutes but then Bella said that she was going to head downstairs to wait for Peter and Charlotte to get back and if Melissa wanted to come she was welcome to join her and Jasper in the den.

"I think I will," said Melissa, "as I'm tired of being up here alone."

"Then let's go and join Jasper and wait for Peter and Charlotte to get back. They shouldn't be much longer as they have been gone for almost two hours as it is."

"How do you think that Peter and Charlotte get us so many humans to feed from every other day?" asked Melissa curiously, "especially since they don't just grab the first people they see, but go hunting criminals instead to bring back for us. I would think eventually they would be seen and then we would all be in trouble."

"Peter and Charlotte know what they're doing," Jasper told Melissa as he had heard her questions as she and Bella walked down the stairs. "For one thing Peter has his talent for just knowing things sometimes and that comes in useful when he does this kind of thing. Also a vampires sight in the dark is second to none and they know to avoid cameras and to always be on guard so that nobody finds out what they're doing. It helps that vampires don't have any body heat to speak of so heat sensors can't pick us up. And Charlotte also has a very useful talent."

"What talent is that?" asked Melissa as she had not known that her new friend was anything but an ordinary vampire with no extra talents.

"She is able to tell when a human is sick and dying just by looking at them or when someone is truly evil," Jasper said. "As you know I'm sure that would be a very useful talent to have. Not all the humans they bring are sick and dying of some disease, but a large percentage of them are."

"I would say so," said Melissa. "I wouldn't feel guilty for killing humans if I knew they were already dying or if you could feel that they truly were evil."

"Do you feel guilty for killing humans and drinking their blood?" asked Jasper worried that Melissa did feel guilty for feeding off what after all had been her own species.

"No, amazingly enough I really don't feel guilty for feeding off humans, not even those that are not sick and dying as they are all criminals. I'm sure I would if I accidentally attacked someone innocent like a child, but feeding off criminals no I don't. I know very well that all humans are supposed to be redeemable, but a lot of criminals that I've read about or seen on the news over the years just go out and commit the same kind of crimes again and again and again and refuse to be redeemed so I don't have any problem with ridding the world of such people. Even if they are perfectly healthy," Melissa added cheekily, "although it sounds as if she has two talents instead of one."

"Good," Jasper said in relief. "And no, although it might seem like two talents it really is just the same one with two different branches. In a way is just like mine as my empathy is very versatile, much more versatile then most vampire talents since I can not only sense emotions, but change them as well."

"That makes sense anyway, what I meant before," Melissa added, "was simply that it would be a useful talent to have to be able to see if somebody was sick and had disease like cancer not that it matters if I catch some human selling drugs to a teenager or one of them raping a woman, but you would still be able to tell if that person was evil to the core or if they committed crimes because it was the only way they could feed their family."

"Now there is an application of that particular talent that I never thought of," Jasper said looking thoughtful. "I'm not sure Charlotte has ever thought to use her talent that way. I might just tell her your idea and she can see if it works if she has never tried it or you can if you want since it is your theory."

"No that's okay you can," Melissa said and she would have been blushing if she had been able to, but luckily she wasn't. Jasper sent her his pride and Melissa beamed at him as she was always trying to make Jasper proud of her even though she didn't really have to, simply because he was always proud of her accomplishments and Bella's as well.

"You two had better get outside as I just heard Peter's and Charlotte's cars pull up," Jasper said. Melissa and Bella listened and realized that they had heard it is well but had subconsciously ignored it because they were used to the sound.

"Good, I'm glad they're finally here as my throat feels as my throat is on fire," Bella said as she and Melissa headed outside Jasper following after.

It was obvious if you really thought about it why Peter and Charlotte took two cars one of which was Jasper's and the other which was theirs. Both cars were large vans and they could hold quite a few humans apiece as the back seats had been taken out. It didn't really matter if the humans were stacked like corkwood just so long as they had room to breath as a dead human wasn't as good as an alive one, although it didn't really matter if they had broken bones, bruises or abrasions as they were going to die anyway and be buried so far out in the desert that the bones would never be found.

Peter and Charlotte of course had other cars back at their ranch house in Texas, but since they had known that they would be dealing with two newborns they had been smart enough to have brought their van instead of one of their sports cars. Actually it was more Peter that collected old cars then Charlotte, and they had cars of all types some of which had been out circulation for years and were considered classics and worth a great deal of money.

Bella and Melissa were waiting eagerly while Jasper watched them in amusement and also with no little sympathy as he knew there throats must feel like a forest on fire. It didn't take long at all for Peter to drive right up to the root cellar door and unload his human cargo and for Charlotte to do the same.

The girls were down the cellar steps in a flash and they didn't even give the humans time to recover from being knocked unconscious when they were draining two of them with Jasper draining a third.

"Ahhh, that is much better," Bella sighed in satisfaction 15 minutes later as she drained her third human criminal dropping the corpse onto the cellar's dirt floor not particularly caring that the man had just been a human being with a soul that she had just killed.

"Full, darlin'?" Jasper asked his mate although he didn't really have to as he could feel her fairly radiating satisfaction her eyes no longer black, but a bright newborn red that was slowly darkening to a darker red of a mature vampire.

"I'll say," said Bella patting her stomach, which was so full that she almost sloshed when she walked.

"Shall the three of us clean up the mess for once and bury the evidence or should we leave it to Peter and Charlotte?" asked Jasper.

"We might as well start learning how to get rid of the evidence," Melissa suggested as she waited for them at the cellar door.

"Yes we should start learning how to get rid of the evidence for when we go hunting on our own," Bella suggested. "And we might as well give Peter and Charlotte a break as they have been fairly good to us."

"Well except for Peter's practical jokes," Melissa added.

Jasper fairly radiated satisfaction at their responses as he had been testing them and they had passed with flying colors. One of the first left lessons a vampire had to learn was how to be careful so that they weren't discovered by humans and that included getting rid of the evidence in such a way that there was nothing to link to any specific person. A sloppy vampire was a dead vampire very quickly.

"Very well then, I'll go get the shovels and I'll show you where to bury them where they'll never be found or if they are they will be nothing but a bunch of old bones by that time."

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

All three got back to the house just half an hour later. It hadn't taken long at all for them to race out to a spot in the middle of the desert—making it kind of like a mini competition to see who could get there the fastest, which of course Bella had won since she had been a runner before she was changed and had therefore built up the muscles in her legs—to dig one big hole, dump the bodies in and then pile the sand back on top. By the time they were done the spot where they had buried the bodies looked just like any other sand dune that had been there forever. Vampire speed came in useful for the rather grisly task at least and since there was no one around to see them they could use their powers all they needed to. Neither girl flinched when they had picked up the bodies and helped Jasper carry them out to a spot in the desert. Neither had enjoyed it however as it was still pretty gross and disgusting, but both also knew that it had to be done and that they might as well get into the habit now because once they were able to be out on their own they would have to do it by themselves and wouldn't have anybody to help or at least Melissa wouldn't.

"I need a shower," Bella said. "A nice, long, hot one."

"Me too," Melissa agreed as they entered house.

"And why would you need a shower?" asked Peter, of course opening his mouth before he thought about what he was saying.

"Because we just finished burying the bodies," Melissa told him.

"Hey that's our job," Peter protested looking offended and when Charlotte smacked the back of his head both girls didn't even pay attention as they were so used to the sound now.

"Well we need to learn do it sometime," Bella said as she headed upstairs towards hers and Jasper's bedroom so she could take that shower.

"Can I join you in the shower?" Jasper asked Bella as soon as they had entered their bedroom.

"If you want to," Bella said with a wicked grin in Jasper's direction. "I could use someone to wash my back and if you want that job you're welcome to it."

"I'll be more than happy to wash your back and the rest of your body as well," Jasper told her playfully with a lecherous smirk on his perfect lips and let his eyes rove up and down her body causing Bella to shiver with delight and then sent her his lust, his desire, and his love. "I think you have an absolutely exquisite body and it will be my greatest pleasure to wash you all over including my favorite your pussy."

Bella laughed and asked rhetorically, "How did I just know you were going to say that?"

"Because you know me so well?" Jasper suggested, with a smirk. "Of course, your breasts are pretty great too. I think you realize by now that I'm always had a thing for breasts."

"I do, don't I?" asked Bella as she got undressed at human speed as she still wasn't used to her strength and she didn't want to rip her clothes trying to do it super fast.

"In fact, anytime you want me to wash your body I will be more than happy to do that," Jasper told her with another lecherous smirk. "I love your body, you are so well put together, you are slim as well as muscular and I just love feeling your smooth muscles under my hands. That you beat me out to that spot in the desert fair and square, proves that you are faster than I am, which just turns me on."

"I thought you let me win," said Bella her astonishment plain on her face as well as her emotions.

"No I never would've just let you win," Jasper assured her. "I am a very competitive person and if you're going to beat me you have to win fair and square."

"Well then how did I beat you? You are so muscular you are bound to be faster than I am."

"That's not necessarily true," Jasper told her. "You were a runner before you were changed into a vampire and you had built up considerable muscles in your legs, which of course stayed with you when you were transformed into one of my kind. Because of that fact you will always be faster than me because you had more strength in your leg muscles then I did when I was changed. From what I can remember of my human life I wasn't a runner like you were. Oh, I'm sure I ran some, but I didn't run three or four days a week for eight years like you did. Whatever kind of muscular development you had before you were changed stays with you so if you were a exceptionally strong then you would've been at least twice that strong after you were changed or even three times depending of course on how much your muscles were built up while you were human."

Bella frowned as she thought about what Jasper had said, but then decided that he wasn't going to lie to her about something so minor. She did vaguely remember being a runner and she must have built up considerable muscle tone in her legs before she was changed.

"Bella, I know what you're feeling, empath remember? I am never going to lie to you, ever, so don't even think about the fact that I could be lying because I won't ever do that," Jasper repeated the last few words in a tone that brooked no argument and Bella hung her head ashamed of herself for thinking that Jasper might lie to her at any time. She trusted him, she really did, but people lied to their husbands, wives, daughters and sons all the time supposedly for their own good. Their own good, Bella snorted cynically. That was just the person's way of saying that they didn't think that the person in question could protect themselves or handle the truth.

"I'm sorry Jasper, truly sorry," Bella told him. "You have to remember the environment I grew up in though. My mother lied to me all the time supposedly for my protection, but the truth of the matter was that it was to protect herself not me. I guess I just expect everybody to lie to me now at least sometimes."

"We'll have to work on that," Jasper said with a frown, no longer angry. "Just remember I will never lie in order to protect you as you are perfectly capable of taking care of yourself. You are an extremely strong, capable women, darlin' and I will never treat you as anything but what you truly are. If you want to be coddled, then I'll coddle you, but if you want to be treated as the strong person you really are then that's the way I'll treat you."

"I don't want to be coddled," Bella told him shuddering at the thought. "Coddling would drive me insane in no time at all. I've always taken care of myself ever since I was six or seven years old anyway, and now I know I can depend on you to give me my space when I need it, but also to be there when I need you there."

"You can, Isabella, always," Jasper promised giving her a kiss on the nose.

"I told you my story and you know why I broke off all contact with my mother," said Bella making it more of a question then a statement as she was pretty sure she had, but not absolutely positive.

"You did," said Jasper frowning as he thought about about his mate's mother. There wasn't really anything he could do about her at least not right now, but if he ever did get his hands on her she would not live for very long for the way she had treated her own flesh and blood leaving Bella to almost raise herself. "If I had my way I would go to Phoenix Arizona and find Renée Swan and torture her for a month or so before I finally killed her just for the way she treated you as a child. Children are supposed to be loved, supported and taught to be confident in their own self-worth, but all your mother did was leave you on your own as much as possible or with one of the neighbors when you were to young to be by yourself. Did she bother to dry your tears when you skinned a knee or was she there when you fell and broke your arm? Was she proud of you when you got good grades or there to help you with school projects or written papers? No, of course not, as she was off doing he own thing instead of being a mother. Yes, she did manage to maintain her job as elementary school teacher and that gave you money to pay the bills, but on the other hand it was you that paid them and not her like it should have been," Jasper ranted.

Bella looked at her mate in amazement and was also touched that Jasper cared so much that he wanted to go tear her mother limb from limb after torturing her for a while of course.

"I'm sorry about ranting like that," Jasper apologized, "but after all you told me of your mother when you were human still makes my venom boil and makes me so angry that all I want to do is go kill your mother slowly, crushing her bones, ripping off her limbs and then using my very sharp fingernails to slowly gut her from the inside out. I won't apologize for my feelings, but I will apologize to you for ranting at you."

"You don't have to apologize," Bella told him. "You can rant at me about something that bothers you or makes you furious all you want and I will be happy to listen as I'm sure I'll be doing the same sometimes. If there was one think I learned as a human it was that it was not good to keep emotions and feelings all bottled up, especially negative ones as they just become a cancer that grows and will eat you from the inside out if you don't vent them in some way. It's one of the reasons I took up running actually, well besides getting control of my limbs. I found that the pounding of my feet on the pavement and not thinking about anything except my breathing helped me to relax and let me vent a few of my feelings so that I didn't explode at the wrong times."

"I thought you didn't remember about being a runner?" asked Jasper with an eyebrow in question.

"And I didn't, except vaguely, until you said that I was and a lot of it came back and as you began ranting about my mother a lot of my memories of my growing up came back as well."

"I'm not sure if that is a good thing or not," Jasper said with a frown now truly sorry that he had lost his temper as it had brought up so many painful memories of her childhood and he wanted to spare her any pain he could. On the other hand he did feel much better as Renée's Swan had been a rather sore point with him ever since Bella had told him about her past, although he had kept it all inside and not vented like he should have until now.

"Let's not worry about my mother, she is in the past, you however are my present and future," Bella said as she kissed him tenderly and with great passion. When they broke the kiss Bella said, "Now about that shower?"

"Your wish is my command, my lady," Jasper said bowing extravagantly as he picked her up and carried her into the bathroom. "Would you prefer a bath?" Or a shower?"

Bella frowned and thought about it, but then decided that maybe a bath would be better. "A bath if you please, sir knight," Bella said continuing their little game.

"As you wish, my lady," Jasper said as he set Bella on her feet and then turned on the knobs of the bathtub.

"You know what I would really like?" asked Bella idly fiddling with a lock of Jasper's long blond hair curling it around her index finger deep in thought.

"What?" asked Jasper as both got into the tub Jasper first leaning his back against the side of the tub and then Bella laid on his chest the water just barely covering them both.

"Well, wherever we decide to settle for a while after Lissa's and mine newborn year is over, I would like wherever we decide to live to have one of those Jacuzzi tubs. You know the ones you can use at spas and hotels."

"I know exactly what you're talking about," Jasper said.

"It would be so nice to go into the bathroom and see that big Jacuzzi tub just begging to be used."

Bella sighed dreamily.

"If that is what you want then it shall be done," Jasper told her.

Bella didn't seem to hear him as she continued describing exactly what she wanted seeming almost asleep even though Jasper knew that wasn't possible for one of his kind, but finally decided that she was just so relaxed that it appeared that way.

"I want one of those Jacuzzis a whirlpool that is big enough for at least the two of us to sit comfortably side-by-side or to make love in if that's what we want. Something with a lot of jets and seats that have those massage controls that will just embrace us and draw the tension out of our bodies, every time we use it." Bella opened her eyes finally. "I've always wanted one actually, but never thought I'd be able to afford it as those things can be expensive. The more features you get the more expensive it is.

"Money is no object," Jasper told Bella firmly. "If you want a hot tub for you and me to share than a hot tub you will have."

"We can think about it a little later but right now your attention is required elsewhere," Bella told him seductively.

"Oh? And where precisely is it required?" asked Jasper as if he didn't know although he really did. He knew very well where this was heading and he was all for it as he would never get enough of his Bella for as long as he was in this existence.

"You know precisely what I want so don't play dumb with me, because I know you are a very smart and intelligent man," Bella told him. "And besides we've never done it in a bathtub before."

"Then we shall," Jasper said as the general slowly, ever so slowly entered his mate from behind.

"Harder!" Bella ordered trying desperately to get some friction going but the water was preventing that.

"As you wish, my mate," Jasper said and used his powerful hips to thrust harder into his mate from behind. All it really took for both Bella and Jasper to come almost together was a couple of thrusts from Jasper's cock into her pussy where he released his seed into her.

By the time that their orgasms were over the bathwater was clouded with the remains of their lovemaking.

"I think next time we make love in a bathtub it'll have to be a lot bigger so that we have some room to move around," Jasper suggested as he examined what was a normal sized bathtub and that meant it was incredibly narrow. Of course bathtubs weren't really meant for making love in, but for actually getting clean so of course it was narrow.

"And maybe we won't make such a mess if we did have room to actually move around," Bella said looking over the side of the tub to see that a lot of the water was all over the bathroom floor.

"Cleaning this up won't take any time at all," Jasper said as he saw the mess.

"I suppose we had better get out," Bella said with a sigh regret.

"We can take a shower and wash our hair and our bodies which we didn't manage to do in the tub," Jasper suggested.

Bella nodded in agreement and headed for the shower Jasper following.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

10 months later Jasper believed that both Bella and Melissa were ready to try going into town where there were thousands of humans within just a few miles of each other. It was true that Billings Montana wasn't the largest city in the world, but it would do for Bella's and Melissa's test. Both young women really were doing an excellent job not only in learning to control their strength, but getting used to their enhanced sense of smell, hearing, and eyesight, although it was a lot easier to control your thirst if there weren't a lot of humans around and since no humans came here except the ones that Peter and Charlotte brought back for them to feed off of this would be their first major test, which could either end in victory or defeat. And if it was defeat there would be a mess to clean up.

"So how are we going to test if we can be around humans or not without attacking them?" asked Melissa curiously.

"Well what we are going to do is take one of the cars and drive into Billings since it is the closest population center and then we are going to open the windows and you are going to take deep breaths of all the humans that will be congregated all together and if you start to get out-of-control then I will use my talent on you so that you don't break the door off its hinges and you drain the first human you see."

"And how exactly will you stop us from leaping out of the car and attacking?" asked Bella. "You did say while we were still human that you did want to have to use pain on us since we had become vampires willingly."

"That's easy and I'm surprised that I never thought about it before," Jasper replied. "I'll simply put you into a state of absolute peace. Being at peace will help you relax and will calm down your emotions and make you able to keep control."

"You can do that?" asked Melissa and admiration.

"I don't consider peace an emotion," Bella said.

"It is though although it is often not considered one. I tried it out on Peter a couple of days ago and it worked like to charm and made him so relaxed and well... peaceful that he didn't feel like moving at all, much less attacking me until I released him. So shall we get going then?" asked Jasper, which was his way of inquiring if the two young women were ready for their test.

"Let's get going," said Bella as she took Jasper's hand hers. Melissa nodded, biting her lower lip in what Jasper could feel was anxiety.

"Don't be so nervous, Melissa. I believe you and Bella will do just fine. Even if you don't it's nothing to worry about as sometimes it just takes time to get control of your instincts."

"But what if I attack someone in the view of a dozen or more humans?" asked Melissa as she continued to bite her lip worriedly.

"Then we will take care of the situation if we have to," Jasper said calmly making Bella flinch as she very well knew that if that if that situation did occur Jasper would have absolutely no crisis of conscious about killing every single one of those humans to get rid of the evidence.

If that event occurred and Jasper did have to get rid of all the human evidence in order to protect the secrets of the vampire world he would feel incredibly guilty for it afterwards, but he would still do it as he knew very well that vampires could not be revealed to the human population.

If there was one thing that Bella hated about life as a vampire it was that, because even if it was necessary to get rid of those humans if they saw all something they shouldn't she would still feel guilty about it even if it hadn't been her that had made that step necessary. She would do it though if it was necessary even if she had to dispose of every man, woman and child in order to protect the lives of her family.

Well probably not a child depending on how old they were. If they were just one or two they could probably be left alive because they wouldn't remember what had occurred or how they had lost their parents and even if they did know no one would believe them adults believing that they just had very vivid imaginations or were making things up because they were so traumatized.

"In any case let's get started," said Jasper heading out to one of his cars which had four doors and was roomy enough to fit all five of them without any of them feeling too crowded.

Peter and Charlotte were coming along more out of curiosity then anything else although they would also be Jasper's backup if he needed it, which was unlikely, but on the other hand it was always better to be prepared just in case of disaster.

"So where are we headed?" asked Peter.

"I thought we could head towards and shopping district as there should be plenty of people out and about at this time of day and yet it shouldn't be too crowded," Jasper replied.

"Jasper they might not be too many people at the shopping center itself at this time a day but getting there through all the traffic is going to be like being packed like canned sardines," Charlotte told him. "And being stuck in traffic with two new newborns, even if they don't act like newborns most of the time… isn't that just a little dangerous?"

"If it wasn't for my talent I would agree with you, Char," Jasper told the woman he considered his sister, "but thanks to my empathic ability it might be a little dangerous, but not as dangerous as you think it is. You know very well how my talent works and how I can bring a whole roomful of people to their knees in seconds if I have to. Not to mention I was the one in charge of training newborns back during the Southern Wars and since you were there you know you know how easy it was for me to control them."

"But that was when you were using pain and fear in order to get him under control and you already said that you don't want to use those two emotions this time."

"Don't worry so much Char," Jasper told. "I already tried sending peace to Peter and he was so relaxed that he couldn't even think about fighting at all and if it had been anybody but me probably would've been slaughtered. If it'll work on him it will work Melissa and Bella as well."

"It worked all night," Peter said, speaking for the first time since he had gotten into the car, which was very unusual for the normally irrepressible vampire. "I felt so relaxed and at peace that all I wanted to do was not fight anymore and just lay down and take a nap even though I know very well that vampires can't sleep. I felt as if my head was immersed in a cloud and my brain filled with fog."

"What brain?" Charlotte commented and everybody else in the car snickered because even though they knew that Peter was a very intelligent man he acted more like a child on a candy high most of the time then what he really was. On the other hand he was always good to go to for advice and he could be serious when he had to be. Also it went without saying that Jasper trusted him to watch his back in a fight.

"Hey!" Peter exclaimed pretending to take offense but then laughed right along with them as he knew very well what he could be like even if he didn't like to admit it.

"We love you, big brother," Bella told him as she leaned over the front seat and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

Peter looked all choked up just like he did every time Bella referred to him as a big brother as he still remembered the sister he had lost even if it wasn't as clearly as he would have liked. "I love you too, sis," Peter said.

Peter remembered the day just a few months ago that Bella had first called him big brother and how shocked he had been.

It had been several months since Bella and her friend had been changed into vampires and they were doing so very well compared to all the other newborns that Peter had ever helped train that he was just astonished at their progress.

One day just four months ago after the two young woman had fed off the humans that he and Charlotte had brought Bella had come into the den where he was watching TV and plopped down carefully beside him saying simply, "Hand me the remote brother dear or you will regret it."

He had been so astonished at Bella's calling him brother that he had handed her the remote without comment and ever since then he had been feeling particularly protective of Bella and to a lesser extent Melissa.

Both young women were very likable and did their best to follow instructions without complaint and seemed to have taken to their lives as vampires with astonishing ease not even showing guilt over feeding off humans, criminals or not, despite knowing that there was another way and in which would only be natural. Also perhaps the reason they had had so easy a time as vampires was because they had accepted this life weeks before they were actually changed. Peter wasn't sure if that had actually made a difference but it seemed obvious that it had as all other newborns that Peter had helped train had had lots of various problems that were typical for their kind.

"Be prepared, we are here," Jasper said as he drove into the outskirts of the city and it wasn't long before they passed into what appeared to be a residential area and then not long after that that they came to even more traffic. Billings was a busy thriving city with lots of interesting things to see and do. There was theaters, parks, museums, shops and many more things for entertainment and relaxation, although today all they were going to do was ride around the city, with the windows down, and humans congregated everywhere to see if once Melissa and Bella caught the scent of so much blood if their instincts would cause them to start to get out of control and try to rip the doors of the car off its hinges in order to attack the first humans they encountered.

If today's test went well then in a week or so Jasper would bring them to the park at a time of day when it was almost full and see how they did. If they did well there then he would take them to a movie, at night which was likely to be only lightly populated by adults and not teenagers or children. They would then sit in the back and watch the movie hopefully without any incidents.

All these places he was planning on taking them accidents could be contained if they had to be, although hopefully no such incidents would occur Jasper wasn't holding his breath, as the humans said, as even though both girls had been doing very well that didn't mean that once they were around a lot of humans that instincts wouldn't to take over and they would drain someone before they realized what had occurred.

If that did occur there were always exit doors within the area where the the movies themselves were shown and not just the lobby that they could use in order to take a corpse out of the building without having to go through the main doors.

"Open the windows," Jasper said as soon as they were into the inner city

All the vampires in the car that were sitting by the windows opened them so that smells and sounds of the city couldn't reach them. Billings was a fairly large city and therefore the smell of many scents, both good and bad. All the vampires in the car had no trouble smelling the scents that were borne to them on the wind, scents like the smell of cooking food, smoke, sweat, dirt, grime, trash, and just the general smells that came with a large population of people. Along with all the ordinary scents came the smell of blood that had all five vampires in the car salivating although the three older ones could control themselves relatively easily, but it was Bella and Melissa that started to go wild at that smell of blood. Both girls eyes went black like pitch instead of being the red of freshly fed and they started to reach for their doors at vampire speed in order to tear them off their hinges so that they could get to all those luscious scents of human blood they smelled.

If they weren't stopped in the next few seconds the whole city of would soon be bathed in blood. Suddenly Jasper's talent started to work and he continued to increase the feelings of peace by degrees until he saw Melissa and Bella's eyes go red again as their wild desire to leave left them. Of course they still wanted to get out of the car and attack all those humans, but the feelings were very much muted almost like a dream. After Bella and Melissa had regained control of themselves Jasper stopped using his talent completely.

"Whoah!" exclaimed Bella shaking her head as she tried to clear the fog out of it. "Is that what it feels like to be completely at peace? You don't want to do anything except give up?"

"What did you feel except the desire to give up?" asked Jasper.

Bella thought about it and tried to find a way to adequately describe it and finally said, "I was all…lethargic, I felt as if my head was stuffed with cotton, as if I couldn't move no matter how hard I tried. I felt so relaxed, all the tension in my muscles just gone so that they felt like water and that seemed to make me sleepy, even though I know vampires can't sleep as Peter said."

"That's exactly how I felt," piped up Melissa. "And I still feel as if my head is filled with cotton although it isn't as bad as before."

"Well it seems as if using feelings of peace on the newborns is very effective," Charlotte said. "I wish you could have discovered that doing the Southern Wars though."

"Even if I had discovered it I doubt very much that Maria would have appreciated me pushing peace on the newborns instead of pain and fear as you know how she was," Jasper replied.

"The more the newborns feared her and you the better she liked it," Peter said as he remembered. "And if you had to use pain in order to get them to cooperate she practically danced in the street as she lived off the pain of others."

"She was a parasite all right," Charlotte agreed as she to remembered her time in the Southern Wars.

"Is Maria still alive?" asked Melissa, curiously.

"No she was caught about 30 years ago and taken to the Volturi for a rather large reward as they had been wanting to catch her for some time. Of course there was no way she would have gone willingly so the vampire who caught her whose name was Dylan I believe tore her apart and then crated the pieces and took that crate to the Volturi in Italy."

"So what happened to her?" asked Bella curiously.

"Oh she was sentenced to die and for her body parts to be burned first and then her head for the Volturi wanted her to watch as her body parts were burned one by one for all the havoc she had caused as there wouldn't have been any Southern Wars without her. Maria was the Southern Wars and created them just because she wanted feeding territory. Are you ready to try opening the windows again?" Jasper asked Bella and Melissa changing the subject.

Both girls nodded looking apprehensive, but seemed to be willing to try which made Jasper very proud of them as after what had nearly happened could have caused both of them to be gun shy. In other words too scared to try again without being forced, but as Jasper well knew it was better to try again right way or you would have to be forced to try again and Jasper for one would rather not use that tactic as it could backfire quite spectacularly.

Jasper sent both girls his confidence and that seemed to perk them up enormously as they sat up straighter and looked determined.

The windows were opened, all four of them, and Bella and Melissa each took deep breathes waiting for their instincts to take over like they had the first time they had tried this, which had been just a few minutes ago.

The smells of the city and immediately hit their noses and along with the smells of food, smoke, and trash came the scent of human blood. Both girls waited for their demons to want to take over and it didn't take more than a second for that to happen, but this time both girls were better prepared and they ordered their demons very sternly to quiet down as they were not about to reveal that vampires were real to the human race.

You will learn control, Bella told her demon, which was better known as the vampire part of her, silently. You will learn to be around humans without wanting to attack them. I feed you well, so you should not went to attack a human when I have just drained three humans not more then three hours ago.

Hunt, kill, devour, her demon demanded trying to break free of Bella's will.

No! You will not hunt, kill, or devour, unless I give you permission to. Do you want to humans to find out about us? If they do I guarantee you they will hunt our kind until we are extinct.

No mere human can hurt us, her demon protested arrogantly.

Humans are a very intelligent and inventive species and eventually they would find a way, Bella told her demon sternly. You know this, as not to long ago you were human and not a vampire, you just want to be stubborn and don't want to admit it.

Hunt, kill, devour, her demon insisted stubbornly rattling the bars of her cage angrily.

You will learn control, or do you want Jasper to be hunted down and killed if humans discovered vampires? Do you want to die as well? Even we cannot stand up against 10,000 or more humans at one time.

Tear, rip, shred, kill, the demon demanded refusing to give up and rattling the bars of her cage.

It was some 10 minutes later when Bella opened her red eyes.

"Are you okay, love?" Jasper anxiously asked.

"I am fine," Bella assured him.

"You had your eyes closed for an awfully long time and if I hadn't known better I would've said you were sleep."

"Nope not asleep more like arguing with my very stubborn demon," Bella said sounding exasperated.

"Were you successful in getting your demon to behave?" asked Charlotte knowing exactly what Bella was talking about.

"I believe we've come to an understanding, but I don't know for sure until we test it out," Bella said. "Are you okay, Lissa?"

"I'm fine," Melissa said having been silent up till now.

"Were you successful in convincing your demon not to go out and kill all these people?"

"I believe I was, but it will have to be tested just like yours will," Melissa replied. Melissa giggled suddenly.

"Why are you giggling?" asked Bella.

"I was just laughing because I don't believe that my demon was quite a stubborn as yours appears to have been."

"She was stubborn alright, practically foaming at the mouth. The only words she seemed to know were, hunt, rip, shred, tear, devour, kill and blood. Trying to get her to see things my way was like trying to get two waring tribes to sign a peace treaty."

Jasper laughed at that. He had been listening to the conversation, but hadn't interjected any comments or said anything at all until just now. "That's very close actually to getting your inner demons to cooperate. Eventually as you get older your demon will learn that you were right and that revealing the vampire race to the humans would be a very bad idea, but at the moment you have to think of your demon as kind of like a rebellious teenager who doesn't really know what's best for them and wants to do what they want and not listen to sound advice."

Charlotte laughed at Jasper's words. "That's a very apt description, brother dear. I remember when I was that young and my inner demon didn't want to do what I wanted her to do half the time unless it benefited her as well. All she wanted to do whenever she had to go around humans was to drain them dry even if there were more than she could possibly have consumed without exploding. It took her years to calm down and learn enough for her to realize that if she didn't quit such destructive behavior then she and her mate could possibly die if humans discovered vampires were real."

"Mine was the same way," Peter volunteered.

"We have to remember that our demons are the animal part of us that we kind of...inherited when we were turned into vampires. Sure we now have a lot of very useful abilities that humans don't have, we can run, jump, hear, see, smell, a lot better than a human, have nearly indestructible skin and can run forever without getting out of breath, but with those advantages come disadvantages as well.

"We can't go out in bright sunlight where humans might see," Charlotte said.

"We have to drink blood in order to maintain our bodies," Bella added.

"We have to live outside of society so that the humans never discover what we are," said Peter.

"We can never have any close human friends just in case they discover what we are," Melissa said as that particular lesson has been hard for her to learn.

"We can never have children," Charlotte said.

"We can never grow old, which is why we must limit contact with humans and goes back to what Melissa said about not having any human friends," Bella said.

"We must move from place to place never staying in one city for more than a few years before we have to move on," said Peter.

"So you see, there are quite a few disadvantages of being a vampire," Jasper said his lips twitching at the way the others had come up with the disadvantages of being a vampire almost like they had planned it.

"You win some, you lose some," Bella summed it up in just a few words, which was really a very common idiom.

"That's a very apt description, love," Jasper complimented his mate.

"Thanks," Bella said taking in Jasper's praise like it was the sun and she was a flower that needed it to flourish. "It's really just an idiom."

"Doesn't mean that idiom or not that it doesn't fit," Jasper said.

"True enough," Bella admitted, smiling

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

A week or so later Jasper deemed that they were ready to try going to the movies, the late night one that wasn't very likely to be very full and would have only adults, and no children or teenagers.

All five of them had made more trips into town going there every day for the last week just driving around with the windows down. Once Jasper had been sure that Bella and Melissa could control themselves while in the car despite the almost overwhelming smell of human blood he had taken them to the park for a couple of hours the last two days. While in the park they had sat on the bench pretending to be reading, but Jasper had kept a very close eye on their emotions just to make sure that they weren't getting ready to attack some innocent kid or one of their parents.

Melissa and Bella had sat enjoying the cloudy day and either talking quietly or reading not seeming at all bothered to have so many humans so close, but of course none of the humans came within 10 feet, which Jasper knew helped. It also helped that the wind was going in the opposite direction from where they were sitting so that the scent of human blood was not overwhelming like it would have been if the wind had been in their direction.

"Ready to go to the movies?" asked Jasper.

"Sure!" Bella exclaimed enthusiastically glad to be getting out of the house even if it was just for another test. They would actually get to see the movie so long as things went well and it was one she had been wanting to see, so whether it was a test or not it might actually be fun.

Jasper couldn't help but smile at his mate's enthusiasm as he knew very well being a newborn vampire was quite a strain as there was a lot of training that they had to go through until you could control yourself and although they had been doing excellently that didn't mean that the two of them didn't need some fun so that they could relax for at least a few hours.

"Let's go," Melissa added also excited just to be getting out of the house to do something that she had done a lot when she'd been human.

"We'll see you when you get back, Major." Peter said as he and Charlotte said goodbye to them as they were not coming along.

"You sure you don't want to come?" asked Melissa giving Peter her best puppy dog pout.

"And see a chick flick? Not on your life," Peter replied.

"Ahhh, you're no fun," Bella replied as she gave Peter and then Charlotte kisses on the cheek. "We'll see you when we get back."

"We'll be here," Charlotte said as she gave Bella and then Melissa hugs.

"We had better be going if we don't want to miss the beginning of the movie," Jasper said as he opened the front door and stepped outside into the cool of the night. That was the thing about the desert it tended to be really hot during the day and very cold at night, not that either extreme really mattered to a vampire since they couldn't get sick. Oh they felt the cold or the heat it just didn't effect them the way it would a human. They didn't sweat or freeze no matter what the weather was.

They would need to wear warm jackets though, pants and long sleeve shirts just to keep up appearances so that the humans didn't notice them. The humans would definitely notice if they started walking around in short sleeve shirts and no jackets considering how cold it was outside.

All three of them put on their jackets and then headed out to Jasper's car in order to driving to town. Jasper started the engine and it was only seconds later that they were on their way.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

They got to the theater just in time for the movie to start having missed the previews and commercials entirely, which kind of had been Jasper's intent as this way nobody would pay attention to them if they didn't buy sodas, candy or popcorn as most people did.

All three of them slid into their seats at the very back just as the credits for the movie were starting to roll. Jasper had been dead right in the fact that there were very few people in the theater. Considering it was after 11 o'clock at night that really wasn't very surprising, as most adults had jobs and if you were a teenager you had a curfew or a bedtime depending on your age.

The movie began and they were all silent as they watched the story unfold and it was nearly 2 hours later when the credits were rolling that they were surprised that it was over as all three of them had been enthralled.

Or at least the two girls had been enthralled with what was playing on the screen but as for Jasper he had been more enthralled with the fact that he had been able to put his arm about Bella's shoulders for the whole movie and that Bella had laid her head on in as she watched.

The close contact had done both Jasper and Bella a world of good as they had not had much time alone considering the fact that the training took up most of their time and when they weren't training they were spending time with Melissa, Peter and Charlotte, but Melissa especially so she wouldn't feel left out being the only one without a mate.

"Let's get out of here shall we?" said Jasper as he headed towards the exit that was just down the aisle at the front of the theater just off to the side of the movie screen Bella and Melissa following.

"That was a good movie, don't you think?" asked Bella enthusiastically.

"It was," Melissa agreed. "It was so nice just to get out and I haven't been to a movie in a long time."

Jasper smiled as he listened to his two favorite girls chat about the movie and what scenes they had liked the best. It wasn't really a surprise that they like the romantic scenes and the way that the lead characters had gotten together in the end.

Just as they reached the exit a male voice startled them by calling out to them, "Hey you whatever your names are, how would both of to go home with me? That man doesn't need both of you and wouldn't you rather have a real man instead of this wimp?"

Slowly all three vampires turned and Jasper tensed ready to take action if Bella or Melissa should attack the man even though he deserved to be a meal for a vampire just for the way he talked the ladies.

"We're you talking to me and my sister?" asked Bella as she boldly went towards the man and Jasper could predict what was about to happen next and he didn't even really feel like stopping her even though it would cause problems that they didn't need.

"Do you see any other gorgeous females around?" asked the man a little more boldly as is Bella had approached him.

"No and you really shouldn't have brought attention to yourself and proved yourself to be such a boar that me or my sister wouldn't even consider going out with a man like you even if I wasn't already married," Bella told him calmly her red eyes, which looked either brown or hazel in the dim light of the theater sparking in anger, loathing and disgust.

"And why is that?" questioned the man not seeming to sense the danger he was in.

"Because sir, I am about to kill you and then bury your body somewhere where no one will ever discover it," Bella told him just before she struck, having the man's arms twisted behind his back, holding them with one hand while the other went around his waist holding him tightly so even when the boar of a man began to struggle it did him absolutely no good. Bella looked at the slimy little man making sure that the loathing, anger and disgust in her eyes as well as her expression was visible even in the darkness of the theater so that the man could see how much she absolutely loathed him. The boar gulped and as his adam's apple bobbed up and down in fear Bella struck as fast as a cobra and had her teeth sunk into the artery of the man's neck in a split second while still holding him in such a way that he could even struggle much.

As Bella was feeding one of the employees came into the theater to clean it and saw what he at first thought was just a heavy makeout session as the lights were still quite dim even though they had come back up to full brightness as soon as the movie was over.

"Hey what are you doing? You should leave as the theater is about to close for the night."

The man walked over to the two as they had apparently not heard him but as he got closer he saw immediately despite the dim light that it was not a makeout session as he had first thought, but that the woman whoever she was, was feeding off the man's blood, her razor sharp teeth attached to his neck. Vampire! That lady was a vampire! was all he had time to think before another lady this one with long black hair instead of brown that he had not seen as she had been standing in the shadows was all over him her teeth attached to his neck draining his blood. "I'm sorry," he heard her say in his ear before she reattached herself to his neck to finish draining his blood. What she was sorry for he never had a chance to discover as his eyesight was beginning to go dim and he was beginning to lose consciousness. He was dying, he realized, and dying fast. The movie employee, who couldn't have been more then nineteen or twenty struggled for a few moments before he went limp as Melissa held him quite firmly actually crushing the bones in his arm and it wasn't long until he was dead completely drained of that life giving substance known as blood.

"Let's get out here," Jasper ordered as he picked up one of the bodies, "Before someone else comes."

"I'm really sorry about that man, Jasper," said Bella looking upset as she thought Jasper was mad at her for creating problems they didn't need. "It's just that he attracted my attention and I was going to try to ignore him, but then he was so lewd and disgusting that I just couldn't."

"You misunderstood me, darlin' and you as well Melissa," Jasper said. "I'm not mad at either of you. Bella, you're right that man was disgusting and rude and he wasn't even drunk so why he didn't avoid like most humans do I have no idea other then he didn't have a lick of common sense and Melissa you had no choice but to drain that movie employee as he just came in at the wrong time. It's practically classic. Wrong place, wrong time. If he had been just a few more minutes we would've been out here and he never would've known that Bella had drained that fellow."

All three of them were silent as Bella carried the man she had drained while Jasper carried the 19 or 20 year old kid towards the exit. "So where we going to do with them?" asked Melissa as they exited the building.

"What we're going to do is put these two in the trunk of my car and we will take them back to the ranch and bury them out in the desert just like we do with any of your other kills. Luckily for us I always park out in the back parking lot that most people don't use at this time of night as it is not as well lighted."

"What about the security cameras wouldn't they have caught us on at least one of them?" asked Bella in a slightly worried tone of voice.

"No movie theaters are notorious for not having enough security cameras, which is why they are robbed so often," Jasper replied.

They reached his car and Jasper unlocked the trunk and dumped the body he was carrying into it not caring about dignity or respect as they needed to get out here before a police car came by or somebody saw them. Bella did the same thing dumping the body into the trunk of the car and then closing the lid gently so is not too damage the car if she slammed it.

"Let's get out here," Jasper said as he went and got into the driver's seat. Bella and Melissa also got in, Bella in the front passenger seat and Melissa in the back and as soon as they had closed their doors Jasper was out of the parking lot and headed down the street and out of town back to the ranch. He didn't act as if he was doing anything unusual other then driving back from seeing a movie or going home from a party. Jasper had found over the years if you acted normal than people would look right past you but if you panicked then they would stop you just on principle.

"I really am sorry, Jasper," Bella apologized again.

"Bella, I told you that I'm not upset with you or upset with Melissa either," Jasper told his mate gently. "You are a vampire and a newborn at that and sometimes things just happen. If that man had just left us alone we would've been gone in just a few seconds, but instead it was him that made the decision to try to get you into his bed even when it was obvious that you were with someone else and also to be so disgustingly rude. To tell you the truth I probably would have drained him myself just on principle and the only thing I would've done different was taking him somewhere where nobody was likely to walk in on us. Now I could've stopped you, either by calling you back and we could have left or I could have used my talent to put that guy to sleep. I didn't do either of these things because I was so upset that he had been rude to the woman I loved and to the women I considered my daughter. If I had been thinking I would have just grabbed both of you and we would have left that guy behind. Just so you know this was the main reason I wanted to go to the movie theater at such a late hour as I knew this was a possibility. I don't want either of you to feel guilty for what happened," Jasper ordered.

"I'll try not to," Melissa said in a small voice. "I can't promise that I'll succeed though. He was just a kid, Jasper, a kid. He couldn't've been more than 19. He had never done anything to deserve to be killed. I know it was necessary, which is why I did it, but that doesn't mean I'm not going to feel guilty for killing an innocent kid who has barely had a chance to live. He was probably working at the theater so he could earn money to get into college and now that opportunity is lost as his life was snuffed out prematurely just for being in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"You have a right to your feelings, Melissa," Jasper told her gently in a fatherly tone, "and I won't deny that if it had been me that drained him I would probably feel guilty as well even if I had done it because I had known it was necessary like you did. However, you can't let that guilt consume you. You knew before going into this that life as a vampire was hard and yes, I know you were brought into it because of Edward's stupidity. And yes, I would have rather have left you human and out of the vampire world entirely, but that doesn't mean that you can let the guilt for killing that kid take over your life. Trust me I know what guilt can do to you as I have a lot of my own, but even though it took me decades I finally forgave myself and put it behind me just figuring that there was no reason for me to keep drowning in my own feelings of regret and remorse."

"Have you ever killed a child?" asked Melissa with just a tiny bit of curiosity.

"Yes, yes I have," Jasper told her. "Let me tell you a story. When I was first turned into a vampire by Maria it was three days of agonizing pain as I changed and unlike you two I had no idea what was happening to me. My only wish by the time it was day three was that I would die just so the pain would go away. Finally when the pain started to recede I believed that it was almost over and that finally I was dying. Unfortunately for me no I was not dying and when the pain finally vanished completely I sat up wondering where I was and if I was dead.

"All I knew at time was that my throat was burning like a torch and I felt like if I didn't get something to drink immediately I would die of that thirst alone. It wasn't long after I finished my transformation, perhaps half an hour, that the door to the room I was in opened and three people were shoved into the room with me. Two of those people were adults, but the third was a child of no more than five years. I remember that first kill very clearly and the terrified looks on the faces of the two parents and the little girl looked scared as well, but only because her parents were, not because she actually understood what was happening. I tried to resist my thirst for as long as I could, but finally my instincts overtook my will to stay away from the three humans and I attacked the father first catching him before he could move two steps from where he was standing beside his wife and attached myself to his throat like a vise. Once he was drained of blood I threw his corpse aside not caring where it landed and stepped towards the women who was holding the child in her arms both of them terrified as even the little girl had come to realize that she was about to die. They pleaded with me to let them go and the mother begged especially hard for her daughter as she wanted her child to live, to grow up, get married, have children of our own.

"I didn't listen and I grabbed the mother who dropped the child. My teeth were latched onto her neck in a split second and I had her drained dry in just minutes. When the woman was nothing but a corpse I threw her aside as if she meant nothing and looked at the kid. Even though I tried to fight with myself about killing her, I finally decided that even if I didn't drain her she wouldn't live long as there was no way that whoever had turned me into this monster was just going to let her go. The little girl was shivering in a corner, and I noticed for the first time that her pretty white dress was all torn and that she had a teddy bear in her arms. How she had managed to hold onto that bear as she was brought here I have no clue but she seemed to take comfort in it as any little girl would do. I knelt down beside her and told her gently even though my inner monster—that was not yet known as the Major, was fighting me and trying to tell me to drain her and be done with it—that I was very sorry for what I was about to do. The little girl looked at me with big green eyes that seemed to look into my very soul and said in a very clear voice, her words perfectly understandable for someone her age, "I forgive you."

"I looked down sobbing for a moment knowing what I was about to do, but then I latched onto her neck and had her drained in just a minute as she was so tiny. As soon as I finished draining the little girl, the door opened and the most beautiful woman I had ever seen stepped in or at least she was the most beautiful woman I had seen at that time in my life. I sensed the power about her and even though I didn't know it at the time as I had no experience with true evil I also sensed that evil as it just radiated from her.

"This woman told me her name was Maria and that I would have to forget the life I knew, that I was now a vampire, one of the undead and that if I wanted to survive I would do exactly as she told me. She said that I shouldn't feel guilty or ashamed for draining humans for their blood as it was our food source and we had to eat to.

"I was so enraged at what I had done to that little girl that I tried to attack Maria, but Maria never went anywhere without at least 5 or 6 guards all of them built like fucking tanks, that knew how to fight. Despite my newborn strength the guards threw me against the wall of the cell and one of them stood in front of Maria with his arms crossed over his chest, glaring at me while the others simply waited to see what I would do next. Finally Maria asked me if I was done being stupid and if I was ready to do what she ordered me to. I told her quite angrily to fuck off and she simply laughed at me and left me there to think about my actions. It was more than a week later and I was about to go crazy with thirst when Maria brought me a meal herself this time and asked me if I was ready to serve her.

"Over the last week I had had plenty of time to think about my actions and about how I could get myself out of this situation, well before I got to thirsty to think at all that is, but when Maria came into the cell she had five humans with her two of them children. The two boys couldn't've been more than 10 or 11 at the most and the other 3 who were adults all looked terrified. The two boys to for that matter as they were old enough to understand what was happening. I was so thirsty at that point that my instincts just took over and I had one of the men drained in a matter of minutes.

"Once I had thrown his corpse into a corner I drained the woman as well and even though she tried to get away from me I just used my vampire speed to corner her and then grabbed her arms crushing the delicate bones with absolutely no effect, finding her pitiful struggles to get away from me quite amusing at that time. Once I had finished with her I grabbed one of the boys who hadn't moved or perhaps couldn't as terrified as he was. The boy I had grabbed was trying not to cry and to be brave and defiant even though I had just killed his mother, right in front of his eyes and he knew that he was about to die as well.

"I drained the boy and it didn't take very long at all as he had not yet reached his full height, and finally there were only two left the other boy and the second man. I had been so thirsty, by the time that Maria had brought me a meal that I wasn't even half full at that point and my throat was still burning although not quite as fiercely it had been before I drained the three humans.

"It didn't take more than a few minutes to finish draining the other two and when I was done Maria came back into the cell and asked me if I was ready to follow her. At that point my resistance had been broken down to almost nothing and I didn't say anything at all, which Maria took as consent. She then told me to go bury my kills and that when I had put in enough time we would rule together.

"I did as ordered and buried all eight humans I had drained of their blood including the three that stunk to high heaven as they were more than a week dead. Once I had done that and gone back to camp is when my life with Maria really began. That was only the first time I drained a child and unfortunately it was far from the last as there were quite a few times over the years I was serving Maria that I made a meal off children of varying ages. It wasn't until at least a decade after I escaped her and a few years before I met Alice that I made the decision to never kill another child unless there was no other choice. Like for example if one had seen to much to let them live."

Bella and Melissa had listened in silence as Jasper told of the beginning of his life as a vampire. Finally Melissa said after Jasper has been silent for a while, "That...that...that...that..." Melissa started trying to come up with an appropriate word, but finally just ended up cursing up a blue streak. By the time she was done she had cursed Maia into seven different hells and also wished she had done things with all sorts of animals that were anatomically impossible.

Jasper just listened in amusement and chuckled occasionally when Melissa came up with something particularly inventive and when she finally ran out of curses, Bella gave her a few more ideas, which caused her to continue cursing for another five minutes.

"I never knew you had such an extensive vocabulary," Jasper commented still chuckling not at all offended when Melissa finally ran out of steam.

"Oh trust me, I can be really inventive when I'm in the mood," Melissa told him.

"And so can I," Bella added as she took Jasper's hand in hers giving it a squeeze.

"And what that bitch, daughter of a whore did to you deserves some very inventive cuss words." "But while all my cussing did relieve my feelings, it doesn't even come close to what I want to really happen to her, that is if she wasn't already beyond my retribution."

"Trust me when I say that if Melissa hadn't already said it all for me, I would be cussing already. I only wish that, that daughter of a diseased camel was still alive so I could torture for the next year or two, for what she did to you and to all those others as well."

"Thank you both for caring so much about me," Jasper told them his voice filled with warmth and affection, "but I've already put Maria and the Southern Wars behind me as much as I can anyway."

"You know, hearing your story or at least part of it anyway has made me feel better about killing that kid," Melissa said. "I know I'll always feel at least a little guilty for what I did even though I know it was necessary, but what you went through is way worse then what I did because you were changed against your will and then manipulated into doing her evil will. Maria got you at a time when you were vulnerable and then went for your throat, figuratively speaking of course. She knew just what buttons to push to get you to work for her and do what you wanted."

"You're right," Jasper admitted, "I know you are as I know very well how Maria used to operate and how she was in extremely good at getting you to do what she wanted you to do without seeming to be manipulating you. From the distance of decades it's an interesting study of tactics, but at the time it was happening you didn't realize that she was actually manipulating you until years later."

"Let's not talk about that manipulating bitch anymore," Bella suggested. "Let's talk about something happier instead like when you and me are going to tie the knot as we are only engaged."

"Anytime you want to," Jasper replied. "It doesn't matter to me, even if you want a big humongous event."

"No something small like at the courthouse will do. If we do it that way all we really need is a marriage license and two witnesses. There's really no point of spending thousands of dollars on decorations when the only people in attendance will be Peter, Charlotte, and Melissa."

"Or what's even simpler is Charlotte can get ordained online and marry us that way and it will be perfectly legal."

"That sounds even better as that way we don't have to worry about finding a minister that isn't afraid of us or try our best to look more human," Bella admitted. "I didn't even realize you could do that. You don't think Charlotte would mind performing the ceremony, do you?"

"No, in fact she will be ecstatic, trust me," Jasper said just as he pulled into the driveway of the ranch house.

Peter and Charlotte came out of the house as soon as Jasper had stepped out of the car.

"We were beginning to get worried," Charlotte said.

"Sorry about that," said Jasper, "but we had a little problem."

"Did this little problem end up with a dead body?" asked Peter in a joking tone.

Jasper shot his brother glare and a dose of pain so that he would shut up before he upset Melissa again. Peter doubled over, and when Jasper thought he had gotten the point he released him.

"I'll tell you all about it, after you get one of the dead bodies out of the trunk while I get the other one so that we can go and bury them in the desert."

Peter complied without another word or sarcastic comment opened the trunk see the two dead bodies with their limbs all tangled together as the ride back to the ranch had been over some rough roads.

"Why don't you two head inside while me and Peter go bury these bodies?" suggested Jasper.  
>"We'll be back in just a few minutes and then will decide what to do."<p>

"Well one thing we need do is watch the news very closely for the next few days and see if they've mentioned the disappearance of that kid. They're bound to at some point," said Bella with a shrug.

"That's a good idea," Jasper complimented his mate. "If the story is that the kid just disappeared without a trace and there's no evidence of foul play then we should be okay."

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

"What precisely happened?" asked Peter as soon as they were far enough away from the house that they wouldn't be overheard.

Jasper told him and Peter listened intently. "So you're telling me that this kid died just because he was in the wrong at the wrong time?"

"Exactly," Jasper said, "and although Melissa still feels a little guilty for killing a kid she doesn't feel quite as bad as she did before I told her about when I first woke up as a vampire."

"You told her about what that bitch Maria I did to you?" asked Peter his astonishment plain as he knew very well that Jasper didn't like to talk about his past, especially certain aspects of it.

"Yep, it was the right thing to do because Melissa asked me if I had ever killed a child and so I told her all about the first time I fed and how at first I didn't bend to Maria's will and what she did after that. It seemed to make her feel better afterwards as her feelings of guilt did lessen although it didn't go away."

"You know technically this kid isn't really a child as he got to be at least 19 maybe even 20."

"I know that," Jasper said, "but as Melissa pointed out 19 or 20 is still a child. For pity's sake the kid wasn't even old enough to drink yet."

"And now he never will be," Peter said sounding somewhat detached. It wasn't that Peter didn't have any sympathy for the death of such a young person, but he wasn't about to dwell on it like Melissa apparently was as he knew better. Accidents happened after all and the kid had just been in the wrong place at the wrong time.

"Peter," Jasper began seriously as he was digging a grave.

"Yes?" Peter also asked seriously noticing Jasper's tone.

"I just want to warn you now that you're not to tease Melissa about this and in fact it would be better not to bring it up at all unless she does. If I have found out that you have upset her you'll regret it, do you understand me?"

"I understand," Peter said for once all his joking facade gone.

"Despite the fact that a lot of the crushing guilt is gone after I told her about what happened after I was first changed she still feels incredibly guilty about it. This will pass in time as it just the normal feeling you get for taking an innocent life, but it won't pass if we keep bringing attention to it. We have to remember that Melissa was only 22 herself when she was changed and therefore still very young. We might have been around 20 or so when we were changed, but we were also born in a different time where you matured a lot faster than you do today as life was hard back then and also much shorter. A lot of people if they lived past 40 or so were considered ancient, while today you can get into your 90s or even over 100."

"I promise I won't tease her about it," Peter solemnly swore.

"Good," Jasper said as he finished packing the sand back down over the newly dug grave.

"You really care about Melissa a lot don't you?" asked Peter with a smirk.

"Yes I do, and not in the way you think so get your dirty mind out of the gutter," Jasper said sternly knowing his brother well. Peter had the good grace to look abashed and Jasper just contained a chuckle at his brother's expression. After Jasper was sure that he had himself under control and would not burst into laughter the moment he opened his mouth he added, "I love her like a daughter not as a potential love as I have Bella and I could never love anyone else like I do her as you should well know considering you have your own mate. Melissa, despite that she was brought into knowing about this world by that idiot, is no less a part of my family then you, Charlotte, and Bella are. In fact I've been thinking now that they've gotten a handle on their strength about getting them two necklaces made with the Whitlock crest on it. They would be just like the ones I gave you and Charlotte except in your case it was a ring."

Peter looked at the ring he always wore his finger now and nodded.

"So they're both going to take the Whitlock name?" asked Peter.

"Yes, Bella through marriage and Melissa through adoption," said Jasper.

"So when are you and Bella going to get married?" asked Peter.

"We were just talking about that on the way home." Jasper replied. "Bella doesn't want a big fuss if you know what I mean. In fact all she wants is just you Melissa and Char there. We talked about Charlotte getting ordained online so that she could perform the ceremony and that way we don't have to bother trying to track down a preacher that isn't scared to death of us and not understanding why he is."

"Charlotte would be very happy to do that as she thinks the world of Bella and of Melissa to," Peter commented.

"Excellent, that's good to know. I knew the three of them were getting along and had become pretty good friends, but it is still good news nonetheless," said Jasper.

"Have you noticed how much you have changed, since you met Bella?" asked Peter. "It's like all your rough edges from your time in the Southern Wars have finally been smoothed over and I firmly believe that this is the man you were always meant to become and if you had remained human would have been."

"Now that you mention it, you're right," Jasper said. "Living with the Cullens tamed me a lot and made me more human then I had been since I was first changed. I'm not even sure that I would have recognized Bella as my mate if I hadn't had that time with the Cullens despite Alice's later betrayal. I might not even have met her as I might have ignored that scream from the alley and passed it by without doing anything at all. If I had done that Bella would've been raped and probably killed as well." A spasm of pain passed over Jasper's face at that thought. "I wouldn't be as happy as I am since Bella came into my life if I hadn't spent that time with the Cullens of that I am sure."

"I believe you are correct," said Peter scratching his head in a very humanlike gesture. "Carlisle managed to civilize you a great deal and Alice did as well. As much as I wanted to rip her apart for betraying you like that I am now glad that she found you and that she managed to civilize you enough so you would recognize what was staring you right in the face even if it took over 60 years to happen."

"We had better get back, before Bella and Melissa start to worry. They are still newborns after all and their emotions are going to be all over the chart for another couple of months at least, maybe more, before they settle into what is normal for our kind."

Peter nodded wisely deciding not to comment and picked up the two shovels that they had brought along in order to dig the holes to bury the bodies before they headed back to the ranch side by side.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

Several days later Bella and Jasper were married by Charlotte with only Peter and Melissa in attendance. Jasper who had been keeping Bella's engagement ring safe for her gave it to her and then produced the weddings bands that they had gotten at the same times as well and gave them to Peter who would be acting as best man.

The ceremony didn't take any time at all and it wasn't more than a few minutes later that they were legally married.

"Thank you, Charlotte," Bella told her friend.

"You are more than welcome," Charlotte said giving her a hug. "Can I see your engagement ring?"

"Sure," Bella said holding out her hand in order for Charlotte to inspect the ring.

"That's a really pretty and very tasteful ring. Where did you and Jasper by it?"

"Tiffany's," Bella answered.

Charlotte whistled appreciatively as she knew very well that Tiffany's was one of the most expensive and luxurious jewelry stores in the USA. "This ring must have set him back a pretty penny as I know that Tiffany's is one of the premier jewelry stores in this part of the world."

Bella rolled he eyes, "As much as I love this ring I still think he spent way too much. Since I went in with him and helped him pick it out—and he got me to admit that I really wanted this ring—I know exactly how much he paid for it including tax."

"Honey you have to get over this hangup you about spending his money," Charlotte told her gently. "Jasper loves you and if this was the ring you wanted you then this is what you would get. Besides Jasper has plenty of money as do most vampires if they're been around for any length of time and if he hadn't been willing to buy you this very expensive engagement ring then he wouldn't have. It's as simple as that."

Bella started to protest and then with a sigh. "I'm just so afraid I'll wreck it and then that's over 40,000 dollars wasted."

"If that happens, which is unlikely, you can't feel guilty about it as it's only money."

"Only money!" Bella sputtered indigently. Finally her shoulders slumped and she sighed, "You're right, it's only money, and I will admit I've never had such a nice piece of jewelry. The only jewelry I had before was all costume or cheap gold or silver plated."

"Well then, I suggest that you get used to Jasper giving you things as I know my brother and he's a very generous man with the people he loves. He loves you, I have never seen him so happy, not even when he was living with the Cullens and married to Alice."

"I'll say he's generous as he's opened up $5 million accounts in my name and in Melissa's."

"It's a common practice to give a newborn vampire enough money to get started in their new life and then to teach them how to invest so they always have enough to do whatever they want," Charlotte said with a shrug. "Peter did the same for me after we had escaped from Maria. If Maria was one thing it was that she could be generous with the loot we collected doing our skirmishes to her favorite officers anyway. I'm not saying that she wasn't a cutthroat bitch, but she did have one or two redeeming qualities."

"That's not what Jasper says," Bella noted.

"Well Maria did use him and Peter both for killing off the newborns when they were no longer useful to her and that tends to make you bitter and with a talent like he has only made it a hundred times worse. After all before the newborns were turned into vampires in the first place they were human beings. For a long time Jasper was just a killing machine as he cut off his emotions completely. I believe he felt it was the only way he could kill so often and it not either drive him insane or drown in his own guilt for ending so many human lives especially since it wasn't in a battle or to protect his life."

Bella nodded thoughtfully and the two women changed the subject and started talking about happier things.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

Two months later exactly a year after Bella's and Melissa's change Jasper called both of them into his study, which was on the first floor next to the library.

The two young women entered Jasper's study just a little apprehensively wondering what he could possibly want. It wasn't that didn't trust Jasper it was just that they had never been in his study before because when he wanted to be alone for little while that's where he went. When they got there they found all three vampires in the house waiting on them and they're anxiety increased.

"Calm down girls, you act like you're in trouble," Jasper joked trying to ease their tension as he felt their feelings of apprehension and worry.

"Well when you call us into your study out of the blue, which neither of us has ever been in by the way, of course we're anxious," Bella told him.

"Well it's nothing to worry about I just wanted to talk to you about something that's all," Jasper said as he gestured to the two of them to take seats.

"What about?" asked Melissa.

"Well," said Jasper as he prevented himself from running a hand through his hair nervously as that would have given the whole game away. It was also a very human gesture and one he had picked up while living with the Cullens. "It is my custom, whenever somebody new takes takes the Whitlock name that I give them each the Whitlock crest. For a long time that was only Peter and Charlotte, but now there are you two so for the last several months I've had the closest Tiffany's make two Whitlock crest necklaces."

Jasper handed the girls two distinctive blue Tiffany's jewelry boxes and both Bella and Melissa took them and opened them to see what was inside. Inside the box, was the Whitlock crest which consisted of what looked like a lighthouse that was on top and underneath that was what looked like a shield with four quadrants. On the upper left quadrant was what looked like a boar in a pose of ferociousness, while on the lower right quadrant was a wolf with it's head raised as if at the sky looking for all the world as if he was howling at the moon. The other two quadrants however the upper right and lower left had crossed sword the upper ones pointing upward, while the lower had them pointing downwards. Underneath all this was a banner the had several words written in what Bella assumed was Latin. Also at each point of the shield were her birthstone, which was an emerald as her birthday was in May, which meant there were there were a total of four small emeralds glittering at her as the shield had three points at the top and one at the bottom. To top it off it was strung on either a platinum or silver chain, which also had larger emeralds on it with beads interspaced between each of the glittering gems.

"It's absolutely gorgeous," Bella breathed as she laid it carefully aside so she could get carefully out of her chair and give Jasper a heartstopping kiss.

"I'm glad you like it," Jasper said still looking a little dazed from the kiss.

"I love it," Bella assured him as she sat back in her chair.

Bella looked over to where Melissa was sitting looking at her necklace and she immediately noticed that it was exactly the same as hers except for the jewels, which were sapphires as Melissa's birthday was in September instead of May.

"Thank you, Jasper," Melissa finally said she got up to give him a kiss on the cheek. "It's way too much, but I'm certainly not going to complain if somebody wants to give me something like this."

Jasper relaxed finally and just prevented himself from sighing in relief at their reactions. He wasn't exactly sure when Bella had quit protesting about receiving such expensive gifts, but she had finally and hopefully had a permanent change if this was not just a phase.

"You will have to explain to us what all this means though," Bella said, "as I'm sure that everything has some kind of symbolism."

"In that you would be right," Jasper said as he began to explain all about the symbolism that was involved in the crest. "The lighthouse is often considered a sentinel of hope and comfort. A light in the darkness if you will. It can also represent steadfastness if you are in the midst of a storm like if your life has had troubles recently. The boar, on the upper left represents the warrior spirit, leadership, direction, while the wolf represents patience, loyalty, intelligence, initiative, being good communicators, wise, and also being problem solvers. Depending on what tradition you're talking about they can also mean facing the end of one's cycle with dignity and courage, death and rebirth, spirit teaching, social and family values, outwitting enemies, steadfastness, skill in protection of self and family, taking advantage of change, intuition, learning, guardianship, ritual, spirit, a pathfinder, psychic energy, inner divinity, teaching, careful study, cunning, escaping hunters, ability to pass by dangers invisibly, strong protection, success, perseverance, stability, and thought."

"Wow who knew that one animal could represent so much," Melissa said looking impressed.

"And the crossed swords?" asked Bella, curiously.

"They represent military mightiness. If the swords are pointed down that means they are at rest, but if pointed upwards it means war and conflict."

"Which is why you have both on your crest."

"Exactly," Jasper said calmly. "I'd rather not to go at war with anyone, but that doesn't mean I'm not ready to fight if I have to."

"What about the banner underneath," asked Melissa. "The words are in Latin, right? And why is Whitlock spelled with an E on the end?"

"Yes," said Jasper saying the Latin words one at a time with the proper intonation Whitlockes pugna tantum ut necesse. They mean 'Whitlocks fight only when necessary.' and Whitlock has an E simply because that is the very old fashioned spelling of my last name. The E was later dropped and is hardly ever used anymore, but when our family first got a crest that was how it was spelled."

"What is this metal that you had them made in?" asked Bella, curiously.

"The chain and crest are platinum," Jasper said. "The reason I chose platinum is that it's a strong metal and a lot harder to break or bend unlike gold which is very soft, malleable and unlike silver it doesn't tarnish or rust or start to fade after a few years."

"Will you put mine on, Jasper?" Bella asked as she got up and handed the necklace to him turning her back to him so that he could put around her neck. "I don't plan on ever taking this off now that I know it won't rust in the shower."

Jasper complied and took the delicate chain and undid the clasp and put it around his mate's neck, while Charlotte did Melissa's.

"So you two have them two?" asked Melissa as soon as Charlotte was finished.

"Yes," said Charlotte as she lifted hers out from under her shirt and showed it to the two women. They studied it and noticed that it was exactly the same as their's except for the jewels, which were light blue.

"What is this stone?" asked Bella as she examined it.

"Aquamarine, which is the birthstone for April. It is a semiprecious gemstone related to the emerald although it is much less expensive as it is easier to mine and therefore available in greater quantities." Charlotte shrugged, "We can't all have expensive gemstones as our birthstones."

"What about you Peter?" asked Melissa.

Peter showed them his ring without comment and it was of course the same as all the others except that it was a ring and he had opals at the points as Peter's birthday was apparently in October.

"Can I ask a question?" asked Bella.

"Of course," said Jasper, "Ask whatever you want and I'll do my best to answer it."

"Why give all of us all your crest?" asked Bella.

Melissa looked curious as to the answer as well so listen intently as Jasper begin to explain.

"Well for one thing by giving you my crest it will protect you to a certain extent from other vampires as most of them know my reputation and there is only one Whitlock as far as I know that is a vampire that was actually born with the name. For another you are part of my family and it is my way of showing you that I accept you as part of my coven and that brings with it certain responsibilities."

"Such as?" asked Melissa.

"Well, if you're ever in trouble when you happen to be traveling or whatever all you have to do is give me a call and all of us will be there in no time or if you can't call and I somehow find out that you are in trouble…well you get the point. Also, it means that all my resources, and I have quite a few, are yours to use if you need to and so is all the money I have accumulated over the last hundred and sixty-five years. It also means that and heaven forefend it from ever actually happening that if somebody should actually manage to kill you, permanently, then all of us will hunt down whoever did it and they will end up in very tiny pieces, whether they are human or vampire and if they are vampires they will also be burned. Most covens are formed mostly for mutual protection and normally there is no love involved as most vampires don't really care about things like love unless they have a mate and in a lot of cases that is just lust and sex, not love. I'm not saying that all covens are like that, or all vampires are like that, but a great many of them are. What this is leading to is that unlike those coven I mentioned I love all who are part of my family in different ways of course. Like for example, I love Peter, Charlotte as a brother and sister, while I love you as a daughter and Bella as my wife and mate."

"I think I understand," said Melissa thoughtfully. "What you're saying is that anybody who is a part of your family you love unconditionally and will do whatever you have to in order to protect them, right?"

"Yes, and unlike Carlisle I will not insist that to be a part of my coven that you drink human blood. Carlisle always insists that anybody who is a part of his family has to drink animal blood or they were not welcome. Oh if you had an accident and drained a human he would understand, but if you deliberately went back to drinking human blood and continued to drink it he would insist that you leave. If you wanted to switch to animal blood I would support you in that decision instead of insisting that you remain on human blood."

Both girls nodded thoughtfully. "Out of both ways between you and Carlisle I think your way is better," Melissa commented. "You for one don't insist we remain on human blood if we want to be a part of your coven and if we want to switch you will support us, while Carlisle insists on exactly the opposite. You're giving us a choice while all he does is tells us there is only one way and if we don't want to follow it then we can leave and that tells me that he doesn't really love the people in his coven as much as you love us."

Jasper felt a warm glow at Melissa's words and it made him feel even better when Bella nodded vigorously in agreement.

"I quite agree," Bella said. "Melissa took the words right out of my mouth."

"To get back to what we were discussing before," Jasper said after a moment as the warm glow dissipated, but the feelings remained. "I will also help you clean up what any messes you make, like a lot of humans finding out about us because of something you did that made them suspicious, just for example. Also you will always have my support and love no matter mistakes you make as making mistakes sometimes is only natural as even now that we are vampires we are not perfect."

"So what now?" asked Bella. "Now that our newborn year is over does that mean we are ready to get out our own?"

"No you still need much more practice at being around humans, before either you can even think about going out on your own," Jasper said shaking his head negatively. "You two have made remarkable progress, like gaining of control of your strength, which is one major hurdle out of the way, but you still need to practice being around humans for more than an hour or two at a time just to make sure that you don't let your bloodlust overtake you."

"So what's the next step?" asked Bella.

"Well I, Peter and Charlotte need to start teaching you the skills that all vampires need to know and before you ask that means showing you how to climb without using the equipment a human would have to. You should be able to climb up a sheer rockface whether there are hand or footholds or not using just your fingernails. Also the three of us will be teaching you how to fight as a vampire as I never want you to be defenseless just in case you run into other vampires that mean you harm. There are a lot of evil vampires out there just like there are humans and they could do a lot of damage to you or even destroy you if you're by yourself and there are to many for you to handle, which is another reason vampires form covens. Vampires have been known to travel as groups and gang up on a single female vamp and try to rape her just for the fun of it and in that case having my crest and my name might not be enough to protect you."

"Bullies," Melissa commented disgustedly, "I hate bullies. Always have."

"Well once the three of us are done training you you should be to take on at least two or three at the same time or at least distract them enough to get away," Jasper said.

"I don't plan on running," Melissa protested indignantly.

"Sometimes it is better to just run if they're too many for just a single vampire to deal with," Peter commented speaking for the first time since the girls had entered the study.

"But you have gone up against five, six or more at one time," Bella protested.

"The difference is," said Jasper, "that we have been through some of the most brutal training known to vampire kind and also my talent is invaluable for taking down whole groups of vampires at the same time. Besides I have more scars from others of our kind then I ever wanted and I would prefer if the same thing didn't happen to you two. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with a scar or two, but Peter and I have hundreds and Charlotte has her share."

Bella was well acquainted with every single one of Jasper's scars including the one up near his hairline that was hidden by his long blond hair. The scars on his body were the worst on his arms, back and wrists, although he did have some on his chest and his legs as well. In fact there was barely a place that didn't have at least one scar including his face. Poor Jasper had survived some of the bloodiest fighting known to their kind and that he had managed to survive at all, not only whole, but with his sanity intact meant that he was one hell of a fighter and had strong survival instincts.

"So when are you going to take us on our first hunt?" asked Bella after they had all discussed their upcoming training for a while.

"How about tonight?" asked Jasper. "I for one need to feed and I'm sure you do too."

"Take both of us? At the same time?" asked Melissa. "Isn't that kind of...well dangerous?"

"No, because I was going to take Bella and I was going to have Peter and Charlotte take you Melissa that is if you don't mind," Jasper told her gently. "Your right it is dangerous to take two vampires hunting at the same time especially ones as young as you are. Vampires as a whole don't like to share their food and will growl in warning if another vampire invades what they consider their territory and if they don't listen, attack. The exception to that is mated pairs and the two of you might try to tear each other apart if you get in each other's way."

"But we're best friends," Bella protested. "I would never even think of trying to hurt Melissa."

"And I wouldn't try to hurt Bella either," Melissa piped up.

"That doesn't apply when you're feeding," Jasper said.

"But what about the fact that we shared our food from the humans that were brought back for us to feed on? Wouldn't we have attacked each other if we thought another vampire was invading our territory?" asked Melissa.

"That's a little different," Charlotte said. "You didn't actually hunt down those humans yourself and so your instincts didn't take over...well except your feeding instinct," Charlotte amended. "When a vampire hunts down a meal for themselves they become very territorial and will protect their food at all costs from outside interference."

"Which is one of the reasons it is better that you two go separately to hunt," Peter said.

"So Jasper and I should be able the hunt together and I won't try to hurt him for coming to close when I'm feeding?" asked Bella.

"No, because you two are mates and that makes all the difference in the world," Peter replied.

"You might growl at him at first until you recognize who he is," Charlotte commented as she remembered when she had done that Peter. "I did that Peter the first time we hunted together."

"Boy did she and I was afraid she was going to attack me but then she seemed to recognize me and we finished off the human she was feeding on together," said Peter remembering that incident. "After that whenever we hunted together we never had any other problems as even when we were overtaken by our instincts we seemed to recognize each other as mates."

"It's nice to have a mated couple in the house that had been through the various problems that being mated means," said Jasper. "You can answer all our questions or advise us of things you have experienced that has to do with mates so that maybe we will be able to avoid some of the problems you had. As much as I hate to admit this I am into new territory here as I've never been mated and although I knew Bella was my mate due to the pull that doesn't mean I know everything there is to know about the subject."

"We'll be happy to help," said Charlotte surprised and astonished that Jasper was actually asking for their advice. On the other hand he had changed a great deal ever since Bella had come into his life. Before Bella had come into Jasper's life and turned it upside down he had never been one that asked for advice, although in his defense he had never really needed to always knowing exactly what to do in any given situation, but as he said he was into new territory so although it grated on him as he had always been able to know what to do, he was willing to ask another mated couple for advice. "And maybe we'll be over to help you avoid some of the problems that will crop up."

"That would be nice, so thank you both in advance," said Bella. "And Jasper there's nothing wrong with admitting that you don't know everything. You are a very smart and intelligent man, but if you've never had a mate before how you supposed to know all about it and all the problems that might come up?"

"I could have asked one of the mated couples I knew about the subject just so I would've been informed," Jasper said.

"Yes, you could have done that, but you did have other things on your mind and it wasn't that important since you had not yet found your mate," Bella said. "What was the point of worrying about it back then since you and Alice were married?"

"Don't mention Alice in my presence," Charlotte said almost growling looking grim. "After what she did, to you, my brother if I ever come across her again I'll rip her to shreds."

"Don't think about Alice, Char," Jasper told his sister. "We have mended our fences so to speak or at least as far as they can be mended and although we will never be as close as we once were we did part as friends."

"You might be able to forgive that bitch, but I can't," Charlotte told Jasper. "She cheated on you practically from the moment you came to live with the Cullens and you didn't discover it until just a few years ago. If she had been upfront in the beginning..."

"That's water under the bridge," Jasper told Charlotte. "Besides I truly believe that things happened as they were meant to. I also believe that I was not meant to discover Alice's perfidy until the right time and that was after Bella had been born and was all grown up. Who knows if we would even have crossed paths if things hadn't happened as they did."

"Maybe you're right," Charlotte admitted. "I never thought about it that way before, but that doesn't make what she did any better in my book. She could have told you that she and Edward were having sex like crazed monkeys instead of you discovering it like you did and feeling betrayed."

"If she had told me I know I would've still felt betrayed, but it wouldn't have been as intense because I wouldn't have discovered it totally by accident," Jasper said. "In any case it doesn't really matter, me and Alice are over and done with and I wouldn't take her back even if she came begging on her knees. I have Bella now and she is all I need to be happy."

"You two are forgetting one little factor that would interfere with any relationship she tried to start with you," Bella commented as she listened to them hash out the incident of what had happened with Alice.

"And what's that, love?" asked Jasper with a raised eyebrow sending her his curiosity.

"Me," Bella said looking suddenly fierce and protective. "If you believe for one minute that I wouldn't tear her limb from limb and burn the pieces the minute she showed up and tried to take you from me then you are sadly mistaken. Just like you I would do anything to protect what is mine and you Jasper Whitlock definitely belong to me and you better never forget it." At that moment Bella looked more like a vampire then she had at any other time even right after her change. The fierceness just rolling off her in waves practically staggered Jasper as he felt not only her fierce protectiveness but her deep unending love for him. She would indeed fight to the death to protect what was hers and if anybody even thought about trying to take him from her they would live just long enough to regret it. Jasper felt something at that moment that he had never felt before in all his long years as a vampire and that was awe that she loved and cared about him so much that she was willing to fight for him just like he would for her.

"You have nothing to worry about, love," Jasper assured Bella gently, sending her his love and devotion. "If she did try such a tactic I would help you tear her limb from limb and then burn the pieces. That I loved her once I won't deny, but not even at the very beginning of our relationship did I love her as much as I loved you from the moment we met and ever since then my feelings for you have only grown stronger."

"I suppose there's no point in worrying about it unless it actually happens," Bella admitted calming down considerably.

"Whoah! Remind me never to get you that angry at me," said Melissa speaking now that she was sure Bella was no longer getting ready to tear something apart.

"You don't have to worry, Lissa," Bella told her friend, "so long as you don't plan on trying to take Jasper from me than I don't think I'll ever be angry enough to tear you limb from limb. He is the most important person in my life to be blunt. As much as I love you as a sister Lissa, if anything happened to you I could live through it, but if anything happened to Jasper it would be a whole different story altogether."

"And that's the way it should be," Charlotte said adding in her two cents.

"Nothing's going to happen to me," Jasper told Bella, "so there's no point in even discussing it. Let's change the subject, shall we?"

"Alright if you want me to change the subject let me ask you where are you planning on taking me to hunt in just a couple of hours after it gets dark?" asked Bella.

"Well every city I've ever lived in has bad sections," said Jasper. "In Billings case it's the bars and some the nightclubs as a lot of rough characters hang out in those kinds of places. I don't believe either of you are ready to go into a bar or nightclub that is filled with humans, but the outside is just as good as people are always coming going. It won't take very long for some of those shady characters to come along."

"But how will we know if they're actually criminals or not?" asked Bella looking worried. "Just because they look rough doesn't mean they're bad people."

"No need to worry," Jasper assured her, "they're all kinds of drug dealers and muggers in that part of town too, especially at night. Humans get robbed there all the time and drug dealers make it a point to hang around that area as a lot of teenagers that go to those nightclubs to just hang out and have fun. There are several in that area that don't serve alcohol and let any kid that is at least 16 in."

"Jasper is right," Peter chipped in. "That's usually where Charlotte and me go when we're looking for a meal or when we bring you two back those humans to feed on."

"Alright I'll try to quit worrying," said Bella knowing that that was almost impossible as she was just a natural worrier.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

At midnight Jasper and Bella started out for that part of town having decided to just run as it was unlikely anyone would see them considering how dark it was. This was one part of being a vampire that Bella enjoyed above all others and that was running. She had run as a human true but as a vampire she couldn't run almost indefinitely without getting out of breath, getting a stitch in her side or feeling the least bit tired. Besides running as a vampire was somehow smoother, more powerful if that made any sense. Running was no longer a chore to be endured, but something to be enjoyed and savored. Also she could run at a speed that would have been impossible as a human and when she did she looked like no more then a blur. If a human happened to see her they would think that they had imagined it as she would be gone in a microsecond. This was one thing that Jasper would never beat her at as she was quite a bit faster than he was. At first she'd believed that Jasper had let her win but then she decided that Jasper would never do that to her as he was very competitive and if she won she would have to earn it. Jasper had told her that the reason she was faster than he was, was because she had been a runner before she was changed and had built up considerable muscles in her legs, which apparently had transferred when she had been changed into a vampire. Whatever muscle tone she had had as a human would be what she had as a vampire. Jasper had explained that some vampires had different abilities then others depending on what kind of shape they had been in before they had been bitten. If they had been lazy and out of shape then they would still be in good shape as a vampire but would still be slow compared to a vampire who had been in excellent shape as a human.

Emmett McCarty Cullen was a very good example of that as he had been in such good shape and had had so many muscles in his arms that he was now at least three times as strong as a normal vampire unless it was a newborn. Changing someone into a vampire made stronger whatever abilities they had as humans, which was one of the reasons that his empathic ability was so strong as a vampire. He hadn't of course been able to sense emotions as a human, but he had had very strong charisma, which when changed into a vampire had turned into what he had now.

Bella was nervous although she tried not to feel it as she knew that Jasper would pick it up. She was nervous about hunting for the first time even if Jasper was there and she was nervous about what it would feel like to hunt up her own dinner instead of having it brought to her. Sure she had been looking forward to being able to get out of the house and going into town to a movie or a club if she wanted and she had also been looking forward to hunting for the first time, but that didn't mean that she wasn't nervous.

"Don't be nervous, darlin', You'll do just fine," Jasper told his mate reaching out a hand and ran it up and down her arm despite the fact that they were moving so fast that no human would be able to see them for more then a second if that.

"I'll try not to be, but I won't promise to succeed," Bella said, reaching out to run a hand tenderly over his cheek for a second.

Jasper leaned into the intimate caress and his inner demon also known as the Major purred in contentment and deep satisfaction at the loving, tender touch of his mate.

Bella never missed an opportunity to let him know exactly how she felt about him. She was always somewhere near him, usually touching him in some way whether it was just a hand on his arm or sitting in his lap with her head on his shoulder. There were hundreds of various ways that she showed him each and every day that she loved him unconditionally. One thing that astonished and amazed him was that she had never been afraid of his scars, not from day one.

Sure she had seen them from the minute she had opened her new vampire eyes and looked at his face and even though her instincts were bound to be telling her to either fight or flee she had never hesitated to let him know that she wasn't afraid of him or his scars.

Jasper was sure that the only reason that Bella hadn't done either was because some part of her had recognized him as her mate and therefore someone to be trusted despite what her instincts were telling her.

Melissa on the other hand had been afraid of his scars and at first had reacted as any normal vampire would upon first seeing him and the scars on his arms and wrists with her new, enhanced vampire sight. The only difference was that once she had recognized him she had calmed down considerably although she had still been very wary of him, which had faded as her newborn year progressed and now things were back to normal between them.

Also to a lesser extent both Bella and Melissa had reacted to Peter and Char's scars as well even though neither had as many in places that were visible as he did.

"I'll help you every step of the way and teach you all I know," Jasper promised as he gave her hand to squeeze. "Now pay attention we're here."

The two of them stopped in an alley and Bella noticed immediately that this area of the city was very run down and that there were a lot of clubs all on the same block, interspaced with bars.

"Now in order to find ourselves a meal we are going to walk out of this alleyway and wander as if we are going to one of the bars or clubs and while we do that we'll keep our eyes open and it shouldn't be very long before we spot someone lurking in one of the side streets. You'll soon discover that a vampire's eyesight is at least 100 times more acute than a humans and we'll be able to see someone even if they are standing in the shadows trying to remain unnoticed."

"What if people notice that we are not exactly human?" Bella asked in such a quiet tone of voice that there was no way a human could've heard it.

"That's the beauty of it really," Jasper said with a rather smug expression. "We are basically humans with just a few extra abilities and so we can still easily pass for human so long as we remember not to go out into bright sunlight in public since we sparkle and wear our contacts or sunglasses to cover our eyes. We can't do anything about the way we walk like predators or the white pallor of our skin, but those things can be explained away."

"I suppose," Bella said thoughtfully as she at the same time let her eyes rove over the area looking for a meal as she was getting really thirsty.

"Trust me, humans will come up with any kind of explanation that makes sense to them instead of believing that our corpse white pallor signifies anything other than what they want it to. Some humans experience what is called a loss of pigmentation although it doesn't usually cover their whole bodies. It's a medical condition that a lot of times happen later in life so we wouldn't really be all that unusual except for the fact that instead of having splotches of it, it covers all visible parts of our bodies. I believe the medical term is vitiligo and of course there is always albinism, although that usually happens at birth and effects not only your skin, but your hair and eyes as well."

"Man, you sound like walking encyclopedia, did you know that?" asked Bella admiringly.

Jasper stood up a little straighter at his mate's tone of admiration, and although he tried to be casual about what her words meant to him he still almost glowed. It was such a new experience for him to have a female admiration for his skills and knowledge or really any admiration. None of the Cullens had really appreciated his past, his skills or his knowledge even though he was older then all of them except for Carlisle. He shrugged and said as calmly as possible in order to hide his true feelings, "You can't live as long as I have and not learn about the world that we all live in and sometimes a vampire's hearing can come in handy for listening to a conversation from some distance away and looking like you aren't paying attention at all. No human will believe that you can hear them from fifteen or twenty away even if you are looking at them."

Bella noticed Jasper's silent reaction and postulated with her now faster vampire brain that it wasn't often if at all that he had been complimented for his skills or knowledge that he had picked up over the years for if he had he would never have reacted as he had even though he had tried his best to be casual and not to show it.

She instantly swore to herself that she was going to remember to compliment him and admire him for his hard won skills just to let him know that at least one person genuinely admired him for all his accomplishments.

"Have you noticed that man across the street in the alley who is observing us as if trying to decide if he wants to approach us?" Jasper asked his mate quietly.

"I have," Bella replied.

"I believe he is a lookout for a gang that works in this area," said Jasper.

"Billings Montana seems like a strange place for a gang Jasper," her lips twitching in amusement. "It isn't that big a city after all."

"This gang doesn't get the news headlines that the gangs in places like Chicago get as they aren't as prone to violence as some of the other gangs in other cities are. I'm not saying that some violence doesn't take place as they will kill in order to defend their territory, but so far at least either the police have managed to handle it and catch the perpetrators or they have ignored the killings entirely, either because they are being paid off or because a lot of police have been severely injured and even killed in this part of town."

"And yet teenagers come to this section of town? Isn't well a little stupid?"

"Oh the gangs aren't going to hurt the teenagers as they are a source of fresh recruits for their membership. Some join as young as twelve from what I understand."

"What do these gangs do if they aren't prone to violence?" asked Bella and then before Jasper could replied said, "They sell drugs in the high schools and elsewhere, don't they? They have to have a supplier, who gives them a percentage of the profits."

"That is usually how these things work isn't it?" said Jasper proud of his mate for her intelligence. "So are you ready to go hunt, my mate?" asked Jasper as he flashed her a wicked grin in the darkness.

"Oh yes," said Bella her almost completely eyes glinting with not only hunger, but excitement and something so feral and wild that it made Jasper's cock stand at attention. That he always wanted her it was true, but something about the feralness and wildness in her eyes made him so rock hard that it was extremely painful.

That man wasn't going to know what hit him, Jasper thought as he watched his mate move across the street at a speed so fast that no human was going to see her unless they were staring directly at her and even then they would only see a blur for a split second before she would have vanished as if into the ground.

Jasper followed and was just in time to see her grab the man's arm in a grip that Jasper knew very well was hard enough to crush bones and latch her teeth onto the man's neck without pause.

The man gave a cry of pain, but then Bella muffled his voice with the hand that wasn't holding onto his arm in order to keep him from getting away and continued to drain him. No matter how much he struggled Bella had a grip on him that no human could break out of and it wasn't long before the man quit struggling and went limp. Bella looked her eyes no longer black from hunger dropping the corpse to the ground.

"So how did it feel to pounce on that human yourself?" Jasper asked. "To hunt him down instead of having him brought to you for you to feed on?"

"It was..." Bella struggled to find a word, but finally said, "awesome, amazing, an eye opening experience. Can we do it again?" Bella's newly red eyes sparkled with an inner glow of happiness and she licked her bottom lip with her tongue. "The minute I saw that man I knew that he was evil as even before I actually cornered and carried him deeper into the alley in order to feed off him it was as if I could sense his maliciousness and hate."

"What do you mean you could sense his maliciousness and hate?" asked Jasper, carefully.  
>"Just that ever since I was turned I have been able to sense when somebody is truly evil or really anybody with ill intent."<p>

"Does it work like mine does, feeling emotions?"

"No, I'm not feeling emotions like you do. It's more of a sixth sense that seems to work on some sort of instinctual, subconscious level. I seem to remember being an exceptionally good judge of character when I was human, maybe I got this talent from that. I can remember being able to tell instinctually when somebody didn't like me or outright hated me or just wanted to get into my pants."

"Could be," Jasper admitted. "Why did you never say anything before, now?"

"Because at first I wasn't sure exactly what was happening as my talent was developing so slowly. I figured it was just my imagination at work when I sensed the pure evilness of some of those people you brought for me Melissa to feed on. I remember one guy in particular that was practically radiating it out of his very pores." Bella shrugged as if to say that she hadn't wanted to say anything if it was just her imagination.

"I seem to be able to sense someone's intentions...shall we say...which is not the same as your talent and it doesn't seem to work except with really strong emotions. Like I could tell that that man was pure evil and didn't seem to care about anything except selling his product, which is why I was perfectly happy to feed off him so he can no longer sell that poison. My talent seems to work more with negative emotions hate, anger, evilness maliciousness, emotions like that."

Jasper looked thoughtful and then said, "In a way our talents complement each other. While I can feel all emotions and make people feel them as well you can only sense them and only negative ones at that at least so far. And it is also seems similar to Char's talent although again it is not quite the same.

"Before we go find you another meal we need to take care the evidence. Before we do that though I want you so bad," Jasper said and had his mate up against the wall of the alley before she knew what was happening and started kissing her all over her face, then actually ripping her shirt so he could suck on her ripe, luscious breasts that were about the size of a pair of melons licking around the tip of one and then the other. Bella hadn't bothered to wear a bra as she had done when she was human since her breasts would never start to sag because she would no longer grow old. The only time she needed a bra was when she was wearing something that was see-through in certain lights.

"Ohhh, Jasper, more! I need you Jasper to put out this burning in my belly," Bella moaned quietly almost purring as Jasper fave her stomach the same treatment her breasts had just received and when he pulled down her pants and panties and shoved his rock hard cock into her already extremely dripping wet pussy. Bella let out a scream of satisfaction as her climax took her so violently that she would have fallen to the ground thanks to her weak knees if Jasper hadn't caught her and held her up.

Both of them panted even though there really was no need as neither needed to breath and as soon as they had stopped gasping Bella tried to fix her shirt, but was unsuccessful as Jasper had ripped it almost completely to shreds.

"Did you have to rip my shirt, Jasper?" asked Bella rhetorically her emotions telling Jasper that she didn't really mind.

"Yes, I had to rip your shirt," Jasper replied as he gave a hug and kiss her forehead grateful beyond words that she was his for all eternity. "You should get used to me touching you—a lot," he added. "I don't care if we're in public or not if I want you then I will take you up against the alley wall or the wall of the bathroom if I want you that bad or really any free spot that doesn't have any humans close enough to see or hear what we are doing. To me you are like a Siren whose calling is so seductive and pure that I cannot possibly resist, and one I don't really want to. Most vampires don't have any morals to speak of when it comes to having sex with their mates no matter where they are."

"You can take me anytime or anywhere you want and I don't mind a bit. I do seem to remember giving you permission to do whatever you wanted with my body when I was human, so if you want to have sex in the middle of a public place…" Bella told him giving him a tender, loving kiss on the neck right over one of his scars, which made Jasper shiver in delight as a strong surge of lust shot through his loins. "When I was human I never would have thought about making out in public beyond a little kissing and fondling, but now I don't really care so if you want to have sex with me right in the middle of 100,000 humans I won't object."

"Now there's an interesting idea," Jasper commented a mischievous look in his eyes, "but for now we had better get you another meal and me as well before we head back to the ranch house."

"And when we do get back you and me have an appointment with the shower were I will suck on your cock and swallow it whole."

Jasper's eyes went totally black at the thought of that and he pushed Bella up against the alley wall once more giving her a kiss that would have been heartstopping if she had still had a beating heart that is.

"I want you, so bad, Isabella," Jasper growled the look in his eyes so feral that it drove Bella so wild with desire that she found herself dripping again wanting to feel him inside her.

Jasper responding to the scent of his aroused mate driving himself into her again and it only took a thrust or two before he released his seed into her for the second time and Bella reached her second climax of the last few minutes as did Jasper.

"Damn! I'm not used to being so out of control darlin', but ever since you came into my life I feel as if I'm on a continuous roller coaster. I want you all the time, my mate and it is only because of the other people in the house that we don't spend every single minute that you are not feeding making love. If I had my way we would make love in every room of the house and on every single piece of furniture as unlike with humans we would not be sore if we made love on the table for instance or the floor of the den."

"Or in front of the fireplace?" Bella suggested with a wicked gleam in her eyes.

"Yes or in front of the fireplace with a roaring fire going. Not that we necessarily need the heat as we don't get cold, but it still feels good to have that heat seeping into your skin, making you warm all over for at least a few minutes."

"And it's so romantic," Bella said somewhat dreamily, "the thought of just you, me, on a giant bearskin rug in front of a roaring fire just drives me wild with desire."

"We'll have to find a way to do that, sometime soon," Jasper said figuring anything that drove his mate wild with desire was not a bad thing.

"You would be amply rewarded, if you found a way to do that sometime in the very near future," Bella told her mate seductively as she sucked on the side of his neck for just a second and then released him.

"I can't wait until Melissa can get out of the house on her own so we can have some privacy," said Jasper. "Once both of you can go out on your own for more than a couple of hours Peter and Charlotte will leave and go back to their ranch house in Texas and we will finally be alone more then we are now."

"They will come to to visit, right?" asked Bella just a little anxiously.

"Yes and we will go visit them. We will see a lot of each other I guarantee you and you don't think that I plan for us staying in Montana once you and Melissa have complete control of your bloodlust, do you? I only brought you to the ranch outside of Billings because I knew it was a good place for you to go through your change and get through your newborn year. Billings is a large enough that a few people going missing won't be noticed, especially if they're criminals, but we really can't afford to stay here too long as the population isn't that large or at least not say like New York which has over forty million people between the various boroughs and Billings is only a little bit over a hundred thousand. Besides when you're able to get out around humans I would like to show you the world."

"Travel?" asked Bella as if the idea of traveling the world had never occurred to her before now. It probably hadn't as when she was human she wouldn't even have considered it not having the money to even think about it as traveling was experience, especially to exotic locales.

"Yes there is a lot of the world out there for us to explore, together," Jasper said.

"I would like to do that," Bella admitted. "As a human I don't remember ever really thinking about it, but that's probably only because I never would've had the money to travel extensively like you are suggesting. I'm not saying I wouldn't've taken a vacation now and then, but I probably wouldn't have gone anywhere truly exotic and exciting, because the farther you go the more expense you rack up."

"Don't worry about the money," Jasper said. "I will treat you to everything this world has to offer, except food of course. We will stay in five star hotels—as I don't see any reason to stay at some fleabag, third rate motel when we have the money to stay in much better places—or if you want to camp we can do that too."

"Why not do both?" asked Bella. "We can camp out sometimes under the stars and we can also stay in those five-star hotels," Bella suggested.

"Your wish is my command, my lady," Jasper said bowing extravagantly, "but now as much as I would love to continue this we had better find ourselves a meal and get back before the others start to worry."

Bella sighed in regret, but knew Jasper was right and so the two of them continued hunting for another couple of humans to feed on after Jasper had given Bella his shirt to cover her breasts while he went bare chested, which made Bella salivate whenever she looked at him.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

By the time they got back to the house Melissa was already there and looking worried. "Where have you been? What happened to your shirt? Why are you wearing Jasper's?" Melissa blurted all three questions out having taken in the situation in just a millisecond.

"I believe this falls under the category of don't ask, don't tell," Bella said as she headed up to her and Jasper's room to get a fresh shirt without pausing.

"Aaaahhhh Bella! You're no fun!" Melissa whined as she followed her friend up to her bedroom.

"So what did happen?" asked Peter as he came out of the den his eyes twinkling with good humor. Jasper was sure that his brother was figuring out a way to tease them about how they had come into the house.

"I shouldn't need to explain it to you, considering you are mated," said Jasper dryly, with a raised eyebrow.

"Ah yes," said Peter as his red eyes grew distant as he remembered when he and Charlotte had first been mated and what had happened when they had gone out to hunt and still did occasionally.

"I will say this and then we will consider the subject closed and off-limits," Jasper began. "When Bella drained a man one that she had hunted down herself she looked so wild and feral that I couldn't resist. There was just this look in her eyes…" The words trailed off and Jasper headed up to his bedroom because he was determined to get what she had promised him when they had been hunting together.

"So no problems?" asked Peter after him.

"No, there were no problems whatsoever," Jasper said back. "We went at that time of night for a reason as we knew that there would not be too many humans around or at least not of the law-abiding sort."

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

Jasper entered the bedroom to find Bella already buck naked. "I wondered what was taking you so long," Bella said seductively as she headed for the shower. Jasper watched for a second and then had his clothes off and met Bella at the bathroom door where he scooped her up and carried her through the entrance.

"Peter, delayed me," said Jasper as he carried Bella into the bathroom.

"Ah, Peter being his usual impudent self?" asked Bella in a tone of voice that told Jasper that it wasn't really a question it all as she knew Peter well by that point.

"Unlike Melissa he didn't ask me any questions about what we had been doing, but then he's mated himself and it just seems that mated couples can't keep their hands off each other for any length of time especially when the bond is still new."

"Well, Peter is right as I have trouble keeping my hands off you even when there are others in the room much less behaving myself with a certain amount of decorum."

Jasper chuckled in wholehearted agreement and started the water in the shower turning it as hot as it would go as neither of them had to worry about being burned before putting Bella back on her feet. "Now, my mate, I believe you promised to suck on my cock and I would have you make good on that promise."

"As you wish, my Lord," Bella said playfully bowing a little. "Nothing would give me greater pleasure as I just love the feeling of the general sliding down my throat. That is one of the great things about being a vampire as there is no gag reflex to worry about, so I don't have to worry about choking."

They both stepped into the shower and closed the glass sliding doors in order to prevent the water from escaping and making a mess. Bella knelt down on her knees and took Jasper's cock in her hand, licking in the tip, which caused Jasper to groan and clench both his hands into fists to stop himself from reaching out to Bella. Jasper leaned against the shower wall and felt the hot spray covering him and also watched as Bella continued to gently tongue the slit before she took half of his cock, which was already as hard as a rock and put it in her mouth and gently sucked on it while stroking the rest that was not in her mouth with her hand. Jasper groaned again and then purred as the sensations that were running through him were so exquisite and very, very strong.

Finally, Bella seemed to be done playing with his cock and she took all of it in her mouth and continued to suck on it, gently using her teeth to scrape against the skin.

Jasper purred even louder and not even realizing what he was doing put his fist through the tile of the bathroom wall. Bella laughed and the vibrations of her laughter caused Jasper even more stimulation causing him to reach his climax, which had been building to an all time high to come instantly into his mate's mouth. Jasper watched as Bella swallowed his cum and then licked her lips getting every single salty drop.

"Have I ever told you that you taste absolutely exquisite?" asked Bella rhetorically as she knew that she had told Jasper that several times over the last year or so.

Jasper was so weak in the knees after what Bella had done to him that he leaned against the wall as he slowly got his strength back and as he did he watched her and the necklace that she always wore now through half slitted eyes.

"And have I told you that my climaxes are so powerful that sometimes I actually lose the feeling in my legs? Like now?" Jasper said as he was finally able to stand up and not have to lean against the shower wall.

The two of them kissed passionately and then washed each other from top to bottom until they were so sparkling clean that there wasn't a speck of dirt anywhere on their bodies or their hair.

"Well that's the first time you've ever put a fist through the wall," said Bella laughing as she looked at the hole that Jasper had made. "We are going have to fix that you know."

"I know," Jasper said calmly as he tried to sound causal and not as embarrassed as he was for doing that. He had never damaged anything when he had sex with Alice, but then again she hadn't been his mate and he was finding much to his delight that his orgasms were at least twice, maybe even three times as powerful then when he had had sex with Alice and if he had been human his heart would probably have burst from the force of them. Of course, Jasper thought, it helped that Bella accepted all of him, his scars, his past, unlike Alice who never had liked his scars and had never wanted to discuss his past even though she had seen a great deal of it in her visions. "I'll fix it tomorrow. I'll just need to buy some supplies first."

"Why don't you teach me to do it? I do need something to do with my time you know."

"I'll be happy to," Jasper said.

"You do know that the whole house more than likely heard us," Bella commented not seeming to care as the two of them got out of the shower not bothering with clothes and went and laid on the bed.

"I know, and it is not Peter and Charlotte I'm worried about it's Melissa. Explaining what being mates means is a whole different level of understanding then having one of your own. What I mean is she might understand what we mean in her head, but not heart and won't until she finds her own mate. Besides being the only single vampire in this house with two mated couples is bound to be hard as they need to spend a lot of time alone in order to strengthen that bond especially when it is new like ours is."

"Melissa doesn't seem unhappy at least so far," Bella said looking thoughtful keeping her voice low so that the other vampires in the house wouldn't be able to overhear their conversation for even if they heard the murmur of the sounds they wouldn't be able to distinguish the actual words. "I know her and I know the signs of when she's unhappy. Eventually I'm sure she's going to feel like a fifth wheel being the only single person among two couples, but I haven't seen any signs of it so far."

"Probably because being a vampire is still too new," Jasper suggested also keeping his voice low as he knew very well that vampires had very enhanced hearing and would be able to hear their conversation unless they kept their voices to mere whispers. "Give it another year and once the newness has worn off I'm sure she will start to feel lonely. By the way I've been meaning to ask you how did you get rid of Melissa earlier?"

Bella rolled her eyes. "The only reason I was able to get rid of her is because ever since we became friends we have had one ironclad rule and that is: don't ask, don't tell. If this rule is invoked then the person isn't allowed to ask questions on that particular subject."

"You actually had a rule about not asking questions on certain subjects?" asked Jasper impressed.

"Trust me, it was a necessary," Bella told him. "I'm a very private person in certain situations or at least I used to be when I was human, while Melissa is anything but. She'll tell you all the gory details about her relationship with the boys if you don't invoke that rule. I don't particularly want to hear about what she and whatever boy she was dating at the time did, especially not when she starts telling about how they started necking on the couch or how they had sex in the bedroom." Bella shuddered a little as she remembered a time or two she had come in on Melissa and some boy—whom she couldn't even remember the names of anymore—necking rather heavily on the couch of the apartment they shared.

"You know Melissa reminds me of Rosalie," Jasper said. "Rosalie would tell everybody who would listen all about how she and Emmett did this or that. Rosalie, isn't one for keeping quiet about her sex life and she and him would have sex in every room of the house that wasn't an occupied bedroom and I would often walk in on them." Jasper shuddered as he remembered.

"Melissa, isn't quite that bad, thank goodness," Bella replied. "She might tell you about it, in way more detail then you want to hear, but she and whatever boy she was dating always had sex behind closed doors."

"That's something at least," Jasper said with a relieved sigh resisting the urge to wipe his brow as if he had just run a marathon like a human would. "Of course I don't think we have to worry about her having sex anytime in the near future as not many vampires are probably going to stay with us, if any. Vampires tend to be nomads or at least a large portion of them do. They prefer to be on their own for the most part and not stay with another coven, even for a few days."

"What about a human?" asked Bella.

"Let us hope that that situation does not occur," Jasper said with a frown of worry. "As you well know vampires are much stronger than a human and Melissa is too young to have learned how to control herself. If she did decide to have sex with a human she would tear him apart quite literally and then we would have a mess to clean up. Well, there is no point in worrying about it unless it happens," said Jasper. "It is a possibility, but a very slim one simply because most humans avoid us instinctively even if they don't know why."

"So what do you want to do for the rest of the day?" asked Bella, as she began to play with Jasper's hair that was spread out on his pillow.

Both of them were lying on the bed that was in their room her on one side him on the other. Jasper looked so relaxed laying on his back with his hands behind his head that it made Bella want him so bad. He just looked so relaxed and peaceful, which was not something that could normally be said of him as he was a warrior and always on guard against treachery except with her and the rest of his family for they were the only ones he trusted unconditionally and knew that he could relax completely around. All you had to do was observe how he acted around Peter and Charlotte to know that he trusted them to watch not only his back but those of his loved ones like her's if there was a fight and that said a lot as that kind of trust did not come easily. He also trusted her as she was his mate and he knew very well that if anything happened to him then she wouldn't be alive very long. As for Melissa he thought of her as a daughter, and trusted her just as much as he trusted the others that he had taken into his family. Bella knew that Jasper didn't give his trust lightly nor did he invite just anyone into his family. He would not have given them all the Whitlock crest if he didn't trust them as it was a very sacred kind of trust and that meant he trusted that person absolutely to watch his back and not to stick a dagger in it, figuratively of course in the case of vampires.

"I don't really care what we do," Jasper replied after lengthy silence answering her earlier question, "It doesn't matter to me just so long as we are together."

Bella was almost startled at the sound of his voice as he had been quiet for so long, but got ahold of herself quickly.

"Well do you have any suggestions?" asked Bella.

"Not really," Jasper said lazily, "except stay up here all day and have amazing sex, where I'll bring you so many orgasms that you will lose the feeling in your legs just like I did when we had sex in the shower earlier."

Bella's lips twitched at that as she should have expected that kind of answer from him. "As much as I would love that what about Melissa? We don't want her to feel left out or abandon."

Jasper sighed and opened his eyes looking at Bella who was laying right next to him. "You're right, I know you are, but I really wish we had this house to ourselves with no one else around so we could do is we pleased."

"You would miss them all if they left," Bella told him confidently. "As much as you complain about not having enough time alone, being alone would get rather boring after awhile, nor to mention monotonous. All of them bring a little bit of excitement into your life when before you were all alone."

"You're right," Jasper admitted.

"So when do you think Melissa and me will be ready to get out on our own?" asked Bella.

"Oh more than likely in the next year or so," Jasper replied. "You can't really predict when a vampire will be ready to get out on his or her own, as everyone is different just like all humans are different from one another."

"Why don't we head downstairs and have a family night? We can watch a movie together, then play a game afterward and then another movie if we want," Bella suggested.

"That's not a bad suggestion," Jasper admitted. "We could even institute it for at least one night a week so we spend time together as a family. Now that you and Melissa have gotten ahold of your strength you won't crush the dice or the pieces that come with the games or the remote for the TV."

"Let's do that," Bella said. "It sounds like fun."

Jasper nodded and they both got dressed in a matter of seconds and headed downstairs.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

Several months later when Jasper got a phone message from Rosalie and Emmett that asked if they could come for a visit. Jasper asked the other members of his family if they minded if they came to visit Jasper text messaging them and telling Emmett and Rosalie his location.

Bella and Melissa especially were a little excited as they had been wanting to meet the two vampires that Jasper talked about quite often.

"Out of all the Cullens those two are the ones I've missed the most," Jasper admitted on the day they were supposed to arrive.

"Well what's the problem with maintaining a relationship with them?" asked Bella. "Just because they are part of a different coven doesn't mean you can't be friends."

"Carlisle doesn't really approve of any of his coven interacting with someone who is drinking human blood even if that someone used to be part of his family. I believe he feels it will be a bad influence on the members of his family and that they will go to drinking human blood instead of staying on animal blood."

"Well your two friends seem to be defying Carlisle's wishes than," Bella, commented with a grin having a feeling that she was going to like Rosalie and Emmett a lot.

"Rosalie, has never allowed anybody to dictate to her what to do and Emmett just kind of follows along with her wishes."

"She sounds as tough as nails or maybe a better description is as tough as a titanium bar," Bella said, but then fell silent as Emmett's jeep started to roll down the driveway.

As soon as it stopped Emmett and Rosalie where out of the car and Jasper walked quickly to greet them.

"Jasper, my man," said Emmett as he gave him a hug.

"It's good to see you, Emmett, Rosalie," Jasper said as he hugged her as well.

"You look well, Jasper," Rose said as she examined him minutely. "You look so much happier and more relaxed than you ever did with Alice."

"That is because I am," Jasper stated simply. "Here, let me introduce you to the two newest members of our family. This is my Bella, and this is Melissa," Jasper introduced when they had approached where the two girls were standing.

"It's nice to meet you," Bella told the two. "Jasper has told me a lot about you."

"He's told us quite a bit about you as well," Emmett said as he gave Bella a bear hug, which she accepted as she had been expecting it since Jasper had warned her.

"How are doing Peter? Charlotte?" Rose asked as she and Emmet had always gotten on with well with Jasper's brother and sister.

"We're doing well, honey," Char assured her. "And you and Emmett?"

"That's something that we need to discuss with Jasper sometime in the next few days," Rose said as she turned to greet Melissa and then Bella.

"So you are the woman I've heard so much about," Rose said as she examined Bella. She was pretty enough Rose supposed if you like to girl next-door type of beauty. She had spirit at least Rose admitted to herself as Bella glared back at her raising her eyebrows and daring her to make a negative comment about how she looked. Rose well knew that she had been blessed when she had been born with her looks and that as a vampire she was even more beautiful than she had been as a human as her already natural beauty had been enhanced as she had changed.

"It's nice to meet you," Rose said as she and Bella shook hands. Rose then turned to Melissa and admitted that she was gorgeous although not as gorgeous as her, but then few people were.

"And it's nice to meet you as well," said Melissa. "I have heard a lot about you."

"Like what?" asked Rose curiously.

"Like that you are a conceited bitch who wishes she had never been turned into a vampire," Melissa said boldly as she had seen how Rose had studied Bella and found her wanting.

"Melissa!" Bella protested trying to contain her laughter at Rose's expression. "That was rude. Apologize!"

"Anybody who knows me knows I can be very rude if the situation is warranted," Melissa replied and Rose got the subtle message, 'Don't mess with my friends or you will regret it.'

Rose nodded subtly letting Melissa know that she had gotten the message and that she would not judge her or Bella until she actually got to know them.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

"So why did you two want to come and visit?" asked Jasper as they sat in his study him behind his desk. "It's not that I'm not happy to see you, but defying Carlisle is not an easy thing to do as I should know."

"Since you brought the subject up I will tell you why they wanted to come visit you," Rose said. "Carlisle has gone insane since the death of Edward. Now I understand why you had to burn him, but ever since his death Carlisle just hasn't been right in the head. I never knew it was possible for a vampire to go insane unless they were already insane before they were turned."

"What do you mean insane?" Jasper asked trying to appear calm when really he was rapidly thinking if he had ever known or at least heard of a vampire to go actually insane before.

"He started muttering to himself," Emmett said. "He muttered about revenge for the death of his son even though what you did was necessary and perfectly within our laws."

"He's stopped going into work and you know how devoted he is to helping the humans," Rosalie added. "He always went into the hospital in rain or shine as the saying goes. He seems to have stopped caring completely about healing humans."

"What does Esme have to say about it?" asked Jasper.

"Even she is worried as she knows that Carlisle is not acting like himself at all," Emmett said, shaking his head. "We tried asking him what was wrong but he would just brush us off and then start muttering again."

"Do you think he would go so far as to cause trouble and perhaps try to attack us?" asked Jasper.

"I don't know to tell you the truth," Rose said. "I'm not sure if he is sane enough to know what he's saying."

"What about Alice what does she think?" asked Jasper.

"That's the thing that really alarmed us," Emmett said. "Alice apparently saw something disturbing and she left and hasn't been seen in the last six months or so."

"She did warn us at least," Rose said. "She warned us to get out and to go traveling for awhile although she never said for what specific purpose."

"We didn't want to leave our family," Emmett said, "so we stayed around for a few months hoping that Carlisle would go back to being the man who we had always depended on for leadership in the past, but things did not get any better in fact they started to get worse and so we eventually left. We wondered around from city to city for a while but couldn't really concentrate on enjoying ourselves when we thought about Carlisle."

"We were hoping that you would have some idea of what to do," Rose added, "which is one of the reasons we wanted to come and visit and the other one was to see you of course."

"And meet Bella," Emmett said. "After all she was Edward's downfall even though he had no business getting involved in the first place as you have a right to change whoever you want into a vampire."

Jasper growled a little as he remembered that incident from just over a year ago. "I'll send Peter and Charlotte to look into the situation," Jasper decided after a moment. "Really they are the only ones available to go, that know how to handle themselves if they run into trouble. If Carlisle is really as bad as you say then that means he probably isn't thinking properly and what that means specifically is he could start trying to create a newborn army me to get his revenge."

Both Emmett and Rosalie gasped at that as if the idea had never occurred to them, which Jasper was sure that it hadn't simply because it was so utterly unthinkable.

"You don't really think that Carlisle would go that far, do you?" asked Emmett looking utterly shocked.

"It's a possibility," Jasper said. "If it was me and I wanted to avenge myself on somebody, especially somebody with my level of skills at fighting I would create at least 10 newborns in order to take care of him. I don't think Carlisle realizes that it is not just me he'll be going up against, but Peter, Charlotte, Bella and Melissa as well."

"And me," Emmett said punching one of his fists into his other hand as he was always ready for a fight.

Rose nodded in agreement.

"Are you sure you to want to get involved in this?" asked Jasper. "That would be considered betraying your coven and as I'm sure you know there some pretty heavy consequences for doing that."

"We know," said Rose, "and that's why we left our Cullen crest back at the house. It was our way of saying that we want no part of the Cullen coven anymore."

"So you don't really have a coven anymore do you?" asked Jasper with a certain gleam in his eyes.

"No we really don't anymore. We just been wandering around the last several months exploring some of the world," said Emmett.

"Let me go give Peter and Charlotte their orders and then we can talk some more as we haven't seen each other in a long time and I'm sure there's plenty of news that we have to tell each other," said Jasper getting up and leaving the room and he came back just a minute later.

"So are you happy?" asked Rose as she studied Jasper again. Jasper looked so much more relaxed and at peace then he had ever been with Alice or living with the Cullens. There was a subtle shift in his posture for one thing that was very noticeable to someone who knew him well. He had used to slump as if trying to be invisible, but now he stood or sat up much straighter, also he just looked happier especially around the eyes and the mouth as if he smiled more often and his eyes were almost twinkling, which was so unlike Jasper that it was utterly flabbergasting. It was as if he was content is own skin for the very first time and that told Rose all she needed know about how happy he was with Bella.

"Yes, so happy," Jasper said, simply. "Bella has changed my life completely. In a good way. I now look forward to each and every day instead of wondering how I'm going to keep myself occupied so that I'm not too bored. It's not that Bella and me do anything all that extraordinary, but just being with her makes me feel more content and happy than I ever have before."

Rose nodded, understanding what Jasper was saying completely. "So how has she handled life as a vampire, so far?"

"She and Melissa have both done extremely well," Jasper replied and it was clear from his simple statement that he was pleased with their progress.

"How did it come about that you had two new vampires on your hands instead of one?" asked Emmett.

Jasper's lips twisted in what was almost a sneer and he said, "Edward." Nothing else needed to be said as all three understood exactly what he was talking about, but Jasper explained the story anyway about how Edward had revealed that vampires were real and although Melissa had at first scoffed at the notion of vampires existing she had also seen Jasper move at vampire speed so he had had no choice but to bring her along.

"In a way it's a good thing as Bella wasn't looking forward to leaving her behind since they were best friends, they even rented an apartment together. On the other hand it's also an annoyance as Bella and me don't have as much time alone as I would like."

"Have you thought about taking a trip?" asked Rose.

"Yes, I have," Jasper replied. "Bella and I have already planned to do that sometime in the near future but it needs to wait until I am absolutely sure that Melissa and her can handle themselves around a lot of humans without letting their bloodlust overtake them. They are doing really well and have been out to hunt in town, but not on their own so until I am sure they aren't going to attack a whole bunch humans at the same time it's just going to have to wait awhile."

"I see that she and Melissa are drinking human blood instead of animal," Emmett commented.

"It was their choice," Jasper replied calmly. "I gave both of them the option of doing either one and both decided to try human blood."

"And how are you doing now that you are back to drinking human blood?" asked Rose. "Is your guilt still ripping you to shreds?"

"No, not really," Jasper replied, "ever since I switched to draining just criminals I don't feel guilty for ending human lives like I used to. I don't feed off children or an innocent person and that seems to be all that my conscious needs to not feel guilty. Besides most of the humans I feed off of now are so despicable that they deserve to be a meal for a vampire. My problem before was that I just grabbed a human to feed off of and I wasn't selective as I never thought about the fact that I could drain criminals and not feel guilty for doing so and it was totally by accident that I discovered that this was so."

"You drinking human blood criminal or not was one of the things that Carlisle couldn't quit raving about," Rose said her lips twisting into a scowl as she remembered. "I believe he felt as if he had failed you by not guiding you better to what he considered the correct path."

"I never knew that Carlisle could be driven into a raving lunatic just because he felt as if he had failed to protect Edward and failed to stop me from feeding on humans again," said Jasper.

"I know he felt responsible for everybody in his family," Rose said, "but I had no idea that two such ordinary events could do so much to drive him over the edge."

"Perhaps it was because he was alone for so many years that when he finally broke down and changed someone that he felt responsible for their behavior," Jasper suggested.

"But he didn't change you, Jasper or Alice either, so why would he feel responsible for what you did or didn't do?" Emmett said.

"Because I believe that he was hoping that by taking me in that I would change my opinion about humans and not think of them as just food, but as people with emotions and jobs and hobbies and I have, which is mostly thanks to Bella, not Carlisle. As for Alice I believe that he feels compassion for the fact that she couldn't remember her past and somehow filled the void of her craving for a family."

"Which is now broken up," Emmett said as his his amber eyes looked sad.

"Don't give up I believe there is hope for your family to be together again," Jasper said although he didn't really have much hope of that happening. From the sounds of it Carlisle had truly been driven insane by several intersecting events. As the three of them had been talking Jasper had remembered eventually about a few vampires that had been driven insane for one reason or another, but then in all those stories they had already been half insane to begin with. Maria was a very good example of being insane, but still being able to function. Besides there were different kinds of insanity and Maria's had been the insanity of pure power.

"So what is Bella really like?" asked Emmett his curiosity just radiating from him.

"I think you'll find that she is one of the most amazing people human of vampire I have ever met," Jasper said, "and I'm not just saying that because I'm her mate. If she decides to tell you her story of her human life you'll see what I mean."

"She still has some memories?" asked Rose astonishment.

"Most of them yeah," Jasper said. "I believe that the reason she still does have a lot of memories is because I gave her a choice as to whether or not to be changed. She had about three weeks to get used to that idea when she decided she wanted to be a vampire. It's not much time, I'll grant you, to get used to the idea that vampires are real, but she seemed to absorb that information with remarkable aplomb."

"And Melissa?" asked Rose.

"Melissa had a little bit more trouble with the concept that vampires were real, not that I blame her in the least, but she and Bella were such good friends that eventually she just decided to follow along wherever Bella led. Besides it was either be turned into a vampire or be drained, so you can see why Melissa made the decision to be turned into one of the undead. I wasn't about to leave a human aware that vampires existed without doing one or the other as that particular road often leads to nothing, but trouble."

"I wouldn't know where leaving a human aware of my existence would lead to trouble or not as it has never happened to me anyway," said Emmett.

"Trust me," said Jasper making a face, "it has happened once or twice to me after I escaped from Maria and before I joined the Cullens. It's happened that some human will see me feeding and run screaming to alert the police and I will have no choice, but to drain them as well. I might feel incredibly guilty for it afterwards, but on the other hand what choice did I have?"

"None," said Rose immediately understanding that what Jasper had done had been to protect the secret that vampires were no legends, but a real, present, every day, part of the world.

The three of them talked for a little longer and then left Jasper's study so that Rose and Emmett could begin to get to know Bella and Melissa.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

"So Jasper has said that you two are adjusting well to being vampires," Rose said as she and Melissa and Bella were sitting in Melissa's room during hair and nails and other girly things.

"He seems pleased with our progress," said Melissa noncommittally, which wasn't exactly the answer that Rose was looking for. Not that Rose could really blame Melissa for her noncommittal answer as Melissa didn't really know her and the way she had acted when she had first arrived hadn't helped the situation. Rose knew very well that she could be conceited since she was stunningly gorgeous and knew it. Knowing that fact though had only enhanced her conceitedness and shallowness when she was human and when she was changed into a vampire Rose knew that she had become even more gorgeous then before, which definitely had not helped her attitude. If she wanted to be friends with Bella and Melissa though she was going to have to be careful to not come off that way or she had a feeling that neither young women would give her the time of day and ignore her completely and she wouldn't blame them if she did. Rose found to her astonishment that she really did want the two girls as friends and possibly someday sisters, because even with Emmett she was pretty lonely for some girl companionship, especially since Alice had fled for parts unknown.

"What I mean is how do you feel about drinking human blood and about all the new abilities that come with being one of the undead? The strength, the hearing, the eyesight, the sense of smell, the speed, having skin like stone?"

"Both of us did have trouble getting control of our strength at first," Bella admitted quietly as she let Rose paint her nails, "but it was more Melissa than me that had the trouble as she kept breaking things forgetting that she was now strong enough to crush objects to powder without really thinking about it."

"I kept forgetting that I was no longer human in moments of distraction, because as a human I certainly wouldn't have been able to crush stone in the powder if I didn't watch it."

"And the enhanced eyesight, hearing, and sense of smell?" asked Rose.

"Those were hard to get used to and they can be an annoyance and a pain," Bella admitted. "To suddenly be able to see for a mile or more can sometimes be very distracting, but you're hearing and sense of smell is even worse and can sometimes be a pain."

"Your sense of smell in particular can be a pain in the butt," Melissa admitted. "I mean suddenly we were smelling things that were so much stronger to a vampire's nose then to a human's that it was nearly overwhelming."

"You do get used to it after a while though," Bella said adding in her two cents. "And as for the hearing, it is almost as bad as sense of smell as we can now pick up sounds that you never would have noticed as a human. Something like a creak of a door can suddenly seem much more annoying and louder than it would too a human."

"Now that's exactly what I was talking about," Rose said pleased with their forthrightness. "What about drinking human blood? Do you ever feel guilty?"

"Not really," Melissa said.

"I don't either," Bella added. "I know I would if I drained a child for instance or an innocent adult or teenager, but to drain a criminal someone who has caused a lot of harm to others? No I don't feel guilty."

"And neither do I," Melissa added.

"But they all humans and don't they deserve a chance at redemption?" ask Rose.

"The ones I feed off of are truly gone and have no chance at redemption," Bella said.

"What do you mean?" asked Bella.

"I mean I have this talent, or at least Jasper thinks it's a talent, to sense the evil in a person," Bella said. "It only works with negative emotions hate, anger, pain, despair, those types of emotions."

"That's a mighty useful talent to have," Rose said, thinking that she and Jasper complemented each other rather well.

"It does make it easier to find a human that truly deserves to be drained by a vampire," Bella said. "And that's what I meant when I said that the humans I drain are beyond redemption as they are truly set in their ways and refuse to change."

"I see what you mean now," said Rose.

"You know I thought you would be furious that Jasper turned to perfectly healthy humans into vampires or at least I did after all he told me about you," Bella said boldly. "I figured you'd yell or scream at him for changing us since we weren't injured or dying at the time."

"I thought about it," Rose admitted slowly not looking surprised at Bella's words as if she had known that this subject would eventually come up. "I'm sure you are aware that I never wanted to be a vampire that I would much rather Carlisle just let me die. I had dreams, dreams that any teenage girl has. I wanted to get married to a man I loved, have children, watch those children grow up get married and have children of their own. I wanted to grow old and then eventually die after a life well lived with my children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren surrounding me, but it definitely wasn't part of my plan to be turned into a vampire to live a kind of half life not being able to grow older or have children. I did think about giving Jasper an earful, but on the other hand as Emmett pointed out what would I have done I had discovered him not gravely injured, but healthy and whole? Would I still have had Carlisle turn him into a vampire? The answer to that is absolutely, as much as it pains me to admit it, because Emmett is the only one who makes this half life as a vampire bearable. Sure I have money and everything else material I could possibly want, but what's the point of being surrounded by things if it doesn't make you happy? So my point is that I can't really blame Jasper for what he did, especially since you agreed to it knowing all the consequences, as I know very well what would happen to him if you died even if it was just of eventual old age."

"Well that's certainly not the answer I expected," Bella admitted a little stunned by Rose's speech.

"I bet you expected me to yell and scream and pitch a fit," Rose suggested with a somewhat weary smile, which lit up her face.

"Something like that yeah," Bella admitted with a smile of her own, "but just so you know I never wanted children so it wasn't really a hard decision for me to make about becoming a vampire, especially since I love Jasper heart and soul."

"So can you tell us a little about your life with the Cullens?" asked Melissa changing the subject trying not to appear uncomfortable as both Rose and Bella had seemed to forget she was there. Besides she was truly curious about what the Cullens were like as she had only met and Edward and Alice and Edward was now dead.

Rose thought that was only fair and started telling stories about what her life had been like with Carlisle, Esme, Edward, Alice, Jasper and Emmett, which was how they spent the next few hours.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

It was only a week later that Peter and Charlotte came back and told Jasper they had taken care of the situation. When they said that all the people in the house knew that meant Carlisle Cullen was no more.

"Was it really necessary to kill him?" asked Emmett not sounding accusing, just curious and sad.

"I'm afraid so when we got there he was worse than what you had described. We went to the house and went inside and he didn't even notice we were there as he was raving at nothing. He was describing the revenge he would get for the death of his son."

"And what about Esme?" asked Rose in concern.

"There was no sign of her," said Peter.

"I hope that doesn't mean there'll be trouble later," said Melissa.

"I don't think you have to worry," said Jasper. "Esme has absolutely no fighting skills which is just one of the ways that Carlisle was the deficient as leader of his own coven. All vampires need to be taught to fight in order to protect themselves, not from the human but from the dangerous vampire nomads that roam from place to place stealing whatever they need, but since Carlisle was a pacifist none of his coven was taught to fight although most of them asked me to help them when I joined or picked it up on their own."

"I can't believe that Alice didn't see this happen," Rose commented as she looked sad, but not all broken up at the death of Carlisle the man she had visited a father and who had changed into what she was.

"Who said she didn't?" asked Bella. "The way I understand it Alice's power works when people make decisions, right?" When Rose nodded Bella continued, "Well what if she saw that it was the only way to protect the vampire race from being revealed to the humans?"

"What do you mean?" asked Rose with a raised eyebrow.

"I mean sometimes people who are grieving do strange things and it's possible that what Alice saw was that somehow Carlisle revealed to the human race that vampires were real. If that happened then we would be hunted down and killed, so maybe killing him was the only way to protect our race from extinction."

"It's a theory," said Jasper with a shrug not really caring one way or the other, "but I suppose we will probably never know unless we ask Alice and I have no idea where she is at present. Even if I did there is no guarantee that she'll tell us what she saw and since none of us can read her mind to find out what she did see and it's possible we never will."

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

"Rosalie, Emmett I would like to offer you to a place in my coven," Jasper told them quietly sitting behind the desk of his study with Rose and Emmett sitting in the two chairs in front, "now that the Cullen Coven is no more. Everybody voted on this and they agreed that they enjoy having you around and you out of all the Cullens were my two closest friends and yes that includes Alice."

It was several days after Peter and Charlotte had gotten back saying that they had destroyed Carlisle Cullen as he had indeed been driven insane at the loss of his son. Carlisle had never even seen the blow coming as Peter and Charlotte were just as good as fighters as Jasper or else they never would have survived the Southern Wars. It had been too easy really as Carlisle had absolutely no fighting skills and to top it off was a pacifist to the core and didn't believe in violence even if there was no other choice. Carlisle truly believed that there was a peaceful solution to every situation and while that was very true most of the time some situations just couldn't be resolved peacefully

"Even Bella and Melissa?" asked Rosalie with a raised eyebrow as she had gotten along with both girls once she had stopped comparing them to herself. Both girls were beautiful enough, even if they weren't as gorgeous as her, although Melissa did come close.

"Yes, including Bella and Melissa," Jasper chuckled well aware of what had happened when Rosalie and Emmett had first arrived. "Both agreed that they've grown rather attached to you and Bella has begun to think of Emmett as a big brother.

Emmett looked pleased at this and gave a wide dimpled grin as he had come to love Bella and Melissa as sisters.

"And what am I, invisible?" asked Rose tossing her long blond hair over he shoulder indigently.

"No, Bella and Melissa have grown attached to you too," Jasper told her quite sincerely not at all surprised at Rose's reaction.

"Good," Rose said as she tried not to show how that pleased her for had worked hard over the last couple of weeks or so to really get to know Bella and Melissa and found to her astonishment that she liked them both. Both girls were spunky and had taken to the vampire life like ducks to water. Much better than she had when she was changed. Of course it might have had to do with the fact that she had been changed against her will and Bella and Melissa had agreed to become vampires.

"We couldn't have to switch to human blood would we?" asked Emmett in concern.

"No, of course not," Jasper assured them. "I'm not Carlisle and will not force you to drink a specific blood type in order to be a part of this coven. If you want to continue drinking animal blood I won't object or force you to switch if you don't want to."

"Good," Emmett said pleased then admitted as looking at Rose who nodded her consent. "Actually Rose and I have tried human blood and no it was not an accident," he added anticipating Jasper's next question.

"And how did you keep the fact that you had deliberately drank human blood from Carlisle and Esme and the rest the family, especially Alice and Edward?" asked Jasper curiously trying to hide how shocked he was at what they had revealed to him as he had always believed that they were wholly committed to Carlisle's way of life.

"You remember how are we would take all those vacations and would be gone for months sometimes a year at the time?" asked Rose.

Jasper nodded as he remembered those times well and how he would miss them while they were gone.

"We did some experimenting while we also explored the world. We hunted a lot of criminals and also put quite a few people who were dying of various diseases out of their misery," Rose said with a shrug. "Humans that wanted to die, like those that had cancer for example."

"Although it was mostly criminals," Emmett admitted. "Motherfuckers like those who were responsible for what happened to Rose way back when she was first changed."

Jasper knew that story well and how Rose had been raped and left for dead in an alley by her fianc**é** Royce and his buddies who had been very, very drunk at the time and how Rose had gotten her revenge.

"And as to how we kept it from Alice we simply didn't make any definite decisions on what we were going to do. We kept changing our minds constantly so that Alice wouldn't be able to get a clear picture of what we were doing as you know her talent is based off someone making definite decisions," Rose added.

"Also we just didn't think about it whenever Edward was around and thought about things like our sex life instead. You know what a prude he was and how that kind of thing pained him and so it made him stay away from our thoughts as much as possible," Emmett added snickering. "You remember how he was always pinching his nose as if he had a headache?"

Jasper nodded and Rose smirked.

"That was the reason he always acted like he had a headache, most of the time anyway as there were plenty of things that annoyed Edward a lot because he was so uptight," Emmett said looking nostalgic for a moment before he sobered.

"Good work!" Jasper congratulated them sincerely looking impressed, which caused Emmett to grin again and Rosalie to preen under the sincere praise.

"We made sure that before we went back to the Cullens that our eyes were back to being amber by us drinking animal blood," added Emmett after a moment of silence. "It always seemed to take longer to change them to amber then to change them to blood red."

"Believe me I noticed," Jasper commented dryly still trying to get over his astonishment at what he was hearing as he had always thought that Rosalie and Emmett were totally committed to the Cullen diet. "Bella believes the reason it takes longer is simply because animal blood might have what we need to sustain us, but it is also simpler and isn't as complex as human blood, which only makes sense if you think about it. We were after all once human so it only makes sense that human blood would have the all nutrients we need to completely satisfy our hunger, while animal blood is not as complex and always leaves a slight burning at the back of the throat and turns the eyes to amber instead of red."

"Which ought to be proof enough that human and animal blood have different components or they both would turn the eyes the same color," Rose said surprised that Bella had come up with the theory, but then maybe it wasn't so surprising as Bella was a very intelligent young woman and a good match for Jasper.

"We accept your offer," Emmett said after he looked at Rose who nodded.

"We probably won't be around much as we enjoy traveling," Rose added, "but we will make sure to come a visit often."

"And you will always have a room prepared for you wherever we move, just like we have one for Peter and Charlotte when they decide to visit," Jasper promised handing them two packages.

"What this?" asked Emmett as he took the package.

"Open it and see," Jasper urged them, which Emmett did ripping the paper away like a child eager to see what he had been given for Christmas.

Once Emmett had the paper off he discovered a blue jewelry box and opened the lid to find a ring.

"This is the Whitlock crest that I give to all to all who join my coven. Bella and Melissa both have one as do Peter and Charlotte and I, of course wear one myself," Jasper said and then went on to explain what all the symbols meant. "Rose since your birthday is in August those little green gems are peridots, which are your birthstone and Emmett because your birthday is in April the diamond is yours."

"Thank you so much Jasper," said Rose looking all broken up as she lifted the platinum necklace off it's velvet cushion. Emmett put on his ring and then got up and took the necklace from Rose putting it around her neck and fastening the clasp.

"Yes, thank you, brother," said Emmett pulling Jasper into a bear hug that Jasper happily returned feeling as if he had gotten part of his life back.

"You will always have a home with us even if you don't decide to live with the rest of the family," Jasper promised them as he gave each of them hugs and Rose a kiss on the cheek. "I know you too don't really need money considering what Carlisle granted you when you first joined his coven, but I will make sure that you have access to the general fund just in case you need it and of course you know I and the rest of the family will always be that help you if you ever get in trouble that you can't get out of on your own."

"Thank you, Jasper, we'll make sure and visit often," Rose promised. "But Emmett and I have a bit of the traveling bug. I don't think either of us realized how confining Carlisle's rules were while we were living with them. Going to high school and then college right afterwards without a break? Just so we would fit into whatever town we were living in at the time? I think both of us have had enough of going to high school and then college to last us for quite a long time," Rose said making a face as she remembered going to high school and then college again and again.

"I agree with Rose," Emmett said. "I think both of us could use a nice long break from going to school constantly and since we won't be living in one place like we did with the Cullens that shouldn't be a problem. No more high school or college for me!" Emmett cheered looking extremely happy about not having to ever go back to school.

"Believe me I know exactly how you feel," Jasper agreed wholeheartedly. "If I want to take a few college courses just a learn something new fine, but to go year after year without a break in between just so we could be appear normal in whatever town or city we were living in so the humans wouldn't notice anything strange about us was just too much. There's nothing wrong with wanting to travel as Peter and Charlotte do that quite often who aren't going to live with us either and just came to help me out with two newborns. They are planning on heading back to Texas pretty soon, but will be available if we need them and of course will visit often," Jasper assured them. "Now why don't we go tell the rest of the family that you have accepted a place in my coven," Jasper suggested.

"Okay," Emmett said enthusiastically and Rose nodded.

"Just one thing before we go inform the family," Jasper added suddenly deadly serious as he got up from his chair behind his desk.

Rose and Emmett looked up at him expectantly waiting for him to continue. "My coven does not work like the Cullens and I am most definitely in charge. I do consult with the others for their opinions sometimes and take all them into account, but the final decision is still mine. I will do everything in my power to keep my family safe and I will not let whatever decision is in the making disintegrate into argument like Carlisle often did."

"That's the way it really should be," said Rose calmly who had always thought that Carlisle should have just taken charge and not depended so heavily on the others for deciding on a course of action and yes that included Alice and Edward. Yes their talents had been useful, there was no denying that, but just because their talents was to hear thoughts and see the future was no reason to depend so heavily on them, especially since Alice's talent was based on the decisions that people made and those could change at any time.

Emmett just nodded not seeming at all put out at what Jasper had said, but that was probably only because he was very easygoing and usually just followed along with what the others decided. It wasn't that he wasn't intelligent just that he was more of a follower then a leader and seemed perfectly content to follow along wherever the rest led.

"Good," said Jasper beyond pleased. "Let's go tell the rest of the family, shall we?"

Emmett and Rosalie rose to their feet and followed Jasper out of his book lined study to the living room where the rest of the family was gathered.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

"Welcome to the family!" Bella exclaimed happily she when heard that Rose and Emmett had decided to accept Jasper's offer.

Bella got up from where she was sitting and came over and gave Rose a hug and a kiss on the cheek and then hugged Emmett as well not minding when he practically squeezed her to death as he was much stronger then a normal vampire because he had had serious muscles in his arms when he had been changed and because of that he was at least three times stronger then was normal for their kind.

"Thanks, little sis," Emmett said as he put her down.

"Yeah, welcome to the family," Melissa echoed as she also got up to hug Rose and Emmett.

Peter and Charlotte who had been watching this from the couch also seemed very pleased with the inclusion of the two former Cullens into their coven, but then of course all of the family had voted to let them join if they wanted to.

"Yes, welcome to the family," Charlotte said politely although she did smile genuinely as she really liked both of them. Rose could be very bitchy, but then so could she and also like her had a good heart under it all and Emmett was just always so cheerful and easygoing that it was often pleasure to be around him unless he played a prank on you that is. In that way Emmett and Peter were very much alike as both loved to play pranks and the rest of the family most of the time didn't mind just so long as they didn't go to far.

"Thanks," said Rose.

"Yes, thanks," said Emmett who plopped down beside Bella and Jasper on the couch pulling Rose onto his lap as there wasn't anymore room.

"You're welcome," Peter snarked although there was genuine affection beneath his words.

Jasper looked around the room and saw everybody getting along which made him feel all content and happy. Also all the emotions in the room were very positive and that made it easier for him to relax then when he was feeling a lot of negative ones.

"So what do you lot do around here for fun?" asked Emmett.

"Whatever you want really," Melissa said with a shrug. "Me I paint, now that I can hold a brush without breaking in into pieces or putting a big, fat hole in the canvas by pushing on it to hard."

"You paint?" asked Rose in surprise with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, I was taking some art classes in college and I am pretty good if I do say so myself," Melissa said modestly.

"She is very good, if I am any judge of art," said Jasper. "We were even thinking about letting her sell some to an art gallery or perhaps have an art showing."

"Is that a good idea with her being vampire?" asked Rose in surprise.

Jasper shrugged and said, "I don't see why not. Artists are supposed to be mysterious and so long as she hides her red eyes and is careful to act human no one should be the wiser. Cold and pale skin can be explained away as some kind of medical condition."

"It's taking an awful chance though isn't it?" Rose persisted.

"Not really. Artist have as much of a right to a private life as anybody and unlike a human we can spot a tail from a mile off and cannot be hurt by mere human weapons if somebody wants to try to kill Melissa in order to increase the value of her art. Paintings are often become more valuable after the artist is dead so it is a possibility," Jasper explained with a shrug. "If people become suspicious all we have to do is have Melissa have some kind of accident and we'll move elsewhere, which we would have to do eventually anyway."

"Jasper has already said that after a few decades I will have to stop for a long time, perhaps forever, or learn how to change my painting style because there are people who study art and therefore know if it is real or if it is a forgery," Melissa said.

"Unlike a human though you will have centuries to learn how to change your style so that you can be an artist again," Bella told her friend.

"True," said Melissa. "Besides I need something to keep me busy as I don't have a mate and this is something I was good at as a human and I'm not the kind of reader Bella is."

"Will you let me see some of your work sometime?" asked Rose.

"Of course," Melissa agreed. "I have my own space out in the garage so that everybody else doesn't have to worry about smelling paint fumes."

"So what do the rest of you do to pass the time?" asked Emmett who seemed bored with the art talk and therefore changed the subject.

"Well, I read, at a human pace as Melissa just mentioned. I've always loved to read although it can get rather tedious if that is all you do. I've never really been the creative type," said Bella with a shrug.

"And you don't tear the book pages as young as you are?" asked Rose in astonishment. "Book pages are very delicate and very easy to rip to shreds."

"I know," said Bella not taking offense as she knew Rose was just astonished that the was able to handle a book this soon into her life as a vampire as a book was only paper after all and easy to tear to shreds even a hardback unless you were very, very careful. "I wouldn't even have thought about touching a book unless I was sure I was ready as I know very well how easy paper is to rip, but I've been doing very getting ahold of my strength according to Jasper so I tried it and found as long as I'm very careful it can be done."

"Bella is doing very well getting used to all of her vampire abilities and so is Melissa for that matter," Jasper added as he kissed Bella's hair from where she was sitting curled up on his lap.

"I'm sure eventually we'll be able to get out and go shopping if we want or anything else, like travel," Melissa added.

"So far though we've been very busy with vampire training, learning to control our strength, get used to our sense of smell, our hearing and eyesight."

"Or the fact that we no longer need to sleep," Melissa added wryly with a chuckle.

"We do plan on traveling, eventually," Bella said. "Jasper has already said he would like to show me the world. I'm assuming that at first it will be all three of us and then maybe just the two of us once Melissa is able to be off on her own for more then a few hours. I'm looking forward to that part."

Rose and Emmett chuckled at that knowing exactly what Bella meant as mated couples needed a great deal of time alone and it was hard to have other's around even if the other people were your family or friends, especially if it was constantly as that meant constant interruptions instead of just the occasional one.

"And what am I chopped liver?" asked Melissa sarcastically pretending to pout as she knew very well that mated couples needed a great deal of time alone in order to reaffirm their bond and trying to not resent it as she knew that both Jasper and Bella loved her and did try their best to include her in their activities as much as possible. Besides, she supposed, it really wasn't any different from when she was painting and she liked to be left alone in order to do that so she didn't really have legitimate complaint as they all needed their privacy some to a lesser degree then others.

"Nope, you're my best friend in the world, but you know very well that Jasper and I need a lot of time alone and to put it bluntly he comes first, no offense," Bella told her friend bluntly as she kissed the side of Jasper's neck causing him to smile and purr softly in contentment sending her his love, which she immediately returned. "I love you Lissa a lot, but that doesn't mean I'm not looking forward to traveling alone with my mate and it just being the two of us."

"And that is the way it should be," said Emmett having no idea that he was echoing Charlotte's words from not to long ago the last time this subject had come up. He gave Rose a little hug and a kiss on the cheek from where she was sitting on his lap.

The subject changed after that to where the girls would like to travel once they were free to do so and that was how they spent the next few hours before deciding to watch a movie extending their time together before Rose and Emmett left on one of their trips.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

It was several months later when Jasper decided that Bella and Melissa were ready to get out among the humans without supervision and so they decided to go to the mall for a few hours. Bella for one had been dying to go to Victoria's Secret and select some lingerie to just try to wow Jasper with and that was not the kind of thing you could order online as it was better if it was selected in person.

Once they got there they made sure that they had in their contacts which made Bella's eyes a muddy brown, Melissa's black as the contacts had been different colors.

Luckily for them it was mostly cloudy out but they covered up nonetheless with jackets that had hoods and gloves for their hands so that their faces or hand wouldn't sparkle if the sunlight made an appearance.

"So where to first?" asked Melissa as they both surveyed the mall directory.

"What about Blush that sounds interesting and is not a store I've heard about before so it must be something new."

"Alright," Melissa agreed readily. "Since Jasper wanted us to stick together this first time after we are finished there we have to go somewhere I want to go, right?"

"That's fine," Bella agreed.

The two young women headed to were Blush was located as people streamed around them instinctively giving them as much space as they could even though they did not realize why they were doing or even that they were doing it all.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

"So where to next?" asked Melissa.

It was several hours later and they had been in to several stores buying lots of clothes as they hadn't had very many to begin with that they had brought with them and even ordering a few things online didn't really take the place of going to the store and trying it on to see how it looked. Bella would have blushed if it had been possible and Melissa immediately noticed that her best friend was embarrassed blush or not.

"You want to go to Victoria's Secret I take it?" Melissa at knowing her best friend well.

"Yes," Bella admitted still looking anywhere but at her friend. "I want to buy some lingerie to wow Jasper with. It's not that I need to keep his interest, but it's still something I want to do."

"You do know that he'll probably rip it off you once he sees you in it?" said Melissa with a smile. "If Jasper does one thing, quite often actually and that is he looks at you when he think's nobody is watching like you're a prime steak dinner."

"You think I mind that?" asked Bella with a raised eyebrow.

"Ah, no?" Melissa suggested with a knowing smirk.

"Right in one, so now that we have established that Jasper is welcome to look at me like I am a prime steak dinner you should know that I don't really care if he rips whatever lingerie I have on off or not," Bella said a small smile playing at the corners of her mouth. "Sure it's a waste of money if it's not even going to last two seconds once he sees it, but who cares, so long as it gives us both pleasure? It isn't like we don't have more money than we know what to do with in the first place."

"Boy have you changed when it comes to spending money," Melissa remarked as the two of them started to head towards Victoria Secrets.

Bella shrugged, "Well before I never had more money then I knew what to do with now I do. Now that I do have a lot of money I don't see any reason for not spending it like I want to and lingerie hardly costs anything at all when you have bucketloads of money."

"True enough," Melissa agreed as she to now had a lot of money as Jasper had settled 5 million big ones on her and Bella, each and was teaching them how to invest so that they never ran out.

"Where do you want to go after I'm done in Victoria Secrets?" asked Bella.

"I thought we could try The Gap," Melissa suggested.

"And then maybe Bath and Body Works?" suggested Bella.

"That's a good idea," Melissa agreed. "I've always loved the soap and lotion even when I was human," Melissa said.

"Don't I know it," Bella smirked. "You always smelled like a fruit basket from all that stuff you slathered on yourself when we lived together."

"Better to smell like a fruit basket then to smell like sweat and dirt and grime," Melissa tartly replied. "Or worse."

"You're right," Bella said holding up her hands in defeat. "I was just teasing you a little so there's no reason to get upset with me. I always thought you smelled really good when you were human, like strawberries and peaches."

Melissa appeared mollified in the two of them headed to Victoria Secrets in companionable silence.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

By the time they arrived back at the ranch house each had more than a dozen bags apiece as they had been in almost every shop including the jewelry store.

"Well, how was your shopping trip? Was it successful?" asked Jasper as he came out of his study when he heard the two young women return.

"Yes more than successful," Melissa agreed. "We bought some clothes and other things."

"Looks like you two bought out the mall," Peter's snarked as he came into the den where they were sitting.

"No we did not buy out the mall," Bella told him calmly as she was used to Peter's attitude by now. "We did only come up here with a few items of clothing just enough to get by for our newborn year and while we have ordered a few things online that doesn't mean that we don't like to go shopping and try items on as when you shop online you have to guess at sizes and it is never an exact match."

Charlotte nodded empathically in agreement as she preferred to try on clothes just to make sure they fit properly and weren't to loose or too tight. She glared at Peter daring him to comment and Peter for once kept his mouth shut as he really didn't feel like getting himself in trouble with his mate, which was a very smart decision on his part.

"Now if you don't mind we are going to take this stuff upstairs," Bella commented as she got up and headed upstairs making sure she gave Jasper a sultry look and sent him her lust as she did so.

Bella immediately heard Jasper excusing himself from the others and then heard his footsteps as he raced upstairs to their bedroom.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

"What took you so long?" asked Bella as Jasper entered their bedroom.

"I had to give my excuses to the others," Jasper said dryly. "I'm sure they know what we are up to not that it matters much."

"No," Bella agreed, "It doesn't matter at all. One of the main reasons I wanted you to come up here well...besides that I wanted to have my way with you is I wanted to show you what I bought for you."

"You didn't have to do that," Jasper immediately replied looking touched that she had thought of him when she had been shopping.

"I didn't have to, but I wanted to," Bella replied as she begin to rummage in the bags looking for the necklace and watch she had bought for Jasper.

Finally she found the bag from Kay's jewelers and presented both items to her husband with a flourish. Jasper opened the two boxes and found inside one a beautiful watch with a black face, silver hands and little silver slashes to represent the numbers. The band was wider more suitable for a man and appeared to be made of platinum with little tiny diamonds inserted into it.

Jasper opened the other box to find a beautiful necklace on a golden chain while charm itself was also gold and was a pair of crossed swords in a circle of gold. The swords were pointed upwards, signifying that he was a warrior and always ready for battle. The swords themselves were so detailed that Jasper could almost imagine that they would actually cut into someone even though they were so tiny and embedded in the circle of gold. The circle surrounding the swords had tiny gems inserted around the edges to where there were more than a dozen tiny rubies sparkling at him in all.

"Thank you, love they are absolutely exquisite and I will always treasure them," Jasper told his mate as he gave her a passionate kiss after making sure he put the jewelry aside so is not to ruin it.

"You really like them?" asked Bella almost shyly.

"I love them," Jasper assured her sending her his gratitude and love for thinking of him. "I will always treasure them just because you gave them to me, but you also have excellent taste and I will be proud to wear both for the whole world to see."

"Melissa and I were passing by Kay's Jewelry when I saw that in the window display. When I saw that it was crossed swords I just knew it would be perfect for you and so I told Melissa I was going to go in and have the salesperson show it to me so I could examine it more closely. I fell in love with it when the saleswoman showed it to me and bought it without even looking at the price. And then I just happened to see the watches and I noticed that you never wore one and I fell in love with this one so I bought it for you. You are always giving me things I figured I could return the favor and it isn't like I don't have the money thanks to your generosity," said Bella trying to appear casual and not show Jasper how pleased she was for his reaction to her gifts. Jasper knew better of course, thanks to his talent but he went along with what she wanted.

"Let me show you how much your gifts mean to me," Jasper said silkily as he slowly divested Bella of her clothing.

Bella gasped as Jasper undressed her and started to nibble on her nipple as if it was the most delicious thing he had ever tasted. When he was done with that he started on her other nipple and then trailed up to the bite on her neck that had made her his for all time and Bella let out of gasp of desire and lust.

Jasper gently laid his mate down on the bed and started trailing kisses down to his favorite part of our anatomy, which was her pussy. It was true that he loved every part of his Bella from the bottom of her feet to the top of her head that had all that glorious, luscious, silky brown hair that trailed halfway down her silky, smooth back. If you wanted to get technical really her hair was not really brown but at least a dozen shades of brown from the brown that was almost black to a lighter brown that was very nearly blond although not quite and everything in between. Her hair looked more like a deer's colorwise really as deers oftentimes had several different colors to their fur all blending into the other.

His Bella was glorious, not very tall, but that was okay. She was slim and muscled, with skin as smooth as satin and yet Jasper knew that it was satin over steel because Bella could be very tough when she had to be although she preferred not to have to be. Running his hands over her smooth, soft skin was sensual experience all by itself and Bella moaned at his touch and grabbed onto his hair pulling his lips to hers.

After they broke the kiss Jasper ran his hands down to her smooth, perfect, round, smooth, soft, silky ass lifting her up and turning her over so that he could give her back and her ass the same treatment that he had given her front.

Bella purred in pleasure at Jasper's slightest touch sent fire through her very veins and it seemed that he was determined to torture her, although it was a pleasant sort of torture, because he'd already kissed his way all the way down the front of her body and now he wanted to do her back as well. Bella could feel her climax building rapidly, but Jasper seemed to know what to do to keep her from going over the edge as he kept switching tactics until it was sweet torture as her climax would build to the very edge and then Jasper would stop what he was doing and do something else entirely. By the time Jasper was done kissing and licking her ass Bella felt as if muscles were jelly and that she couldn't've moved if she wanted to and yet he continued kissing and licking his way down her thighs and the back of her legs until he reached the spot where her knees bent. There he kissed and licked them and gave them special attention as he well knew that she was particularly sensitive in that area and Bella moaned again as her climax started to build once more.

Finally Jasper flipped her back onto her front and positioned the general at her entrance and shoved himself into her without ceremony or a word and Bella was so wet from all the sweet torture she had just received that Jasper had no trouble at all sliding himself into her slick folds.

Bella's orgasm exploded as soon as Jasper had entered her just from the sensation of his cock inside her, and even before he had released his seed. It wasn't more than half a second later that Jasper came as well. Her climax took a long, long time to subside and before she came back to Earth. The orgasm had been more powerful than any she had ever experienced before and she'd always thought that making love with Jasper was spectacular, but now she knew that Jasper had been holding back on her or if he hadn't he had discovered new ways in order to please them both and all of that just because she had decided to buy him a couple of gifts.

"Did you like that, my mate?" asked Jasper as he grinned wickedly once he saw that she was back to being coherent.

"If you can't tell whether I liked it or not then your ability is on the fritz," Bella snarked at him.

Jasper's grin widened even more and he said, "Of course I can tell that you loved it from your emotions. You were lost in pure pleasure, but on the other hand it doesn't hurt to make sure you really did enjoy yourself because your feelings and your brain are two different things."

"Jasper," Bella said as she pulled him down on top of her, "I loved it so much that I would be perfectly happy...no make that is ecstatic...to let you do that to me for the next thousand years or so." Bella sent Jasper her emotions of happiness, contentment, love, lust, and desire.

Jasper absorbed her emotions and sent the exact same ones back to her making her smile and glow with happiness and love. "Neither one of us can do that all the time as it takes a lot of work and I know that sometimes our feelings for each other just overcome us so we don't have time to do that kind of thing."

"Yes," Bella agreed huskily as she kissed Jasper's shoulder right where her mating mark was, causing him to purr again. "But if we can still do that sometimes it would make me very, very happy and I would of course return the favor."

Jasper purred at the thought of that and was immediately looking forward to that day.

"I feel so limp and my muscles so relaxed they feel like Jell-O and I'm not sure I could move at the moment even if I wanted to," Bella said lazily almost looking sleepy as she tested her muscles, which were slowly losing that Jell-O like feeling.

"We don't have to move if we don't want to," Jasper said as he laid beside her all curled up on his side with his head on her chest right between her breasts, which he loved as the feel of them was so smooth and silky soft.

Bella sighed in contentment and cradled Jasper's head between her breasts running a hand through his silky blond hair. His hair was so soft, like warm silk, she mused. You never expected someone, a man especially, to have such soft, silky hair, but Jasper sure did, or maybe all vampires did.

They stayed like that for a while, but finally Bella's muscles started feeling more normal and she was able to move without feeling as if she was going to fall if she tried to stand up because her muscles felt like water.

"Thank you, for the gift," Bella said as she lifted up her head enough to kiss Jasper on the nose and then the lips.

"You're welcome," Jasper said with a sigh of contentment, "but I wanted to also thank you for the presents you bought me even though you didn't have to."

"So it was all reward was it?" asked Bella mischievously.

"If you want to think of it like that, yeah," Jasper said as he looked up into Bella's red eyes, which were filled with her love and desire for him, which Jasper often thanked whatever deity looked after vampires for, if there was such a thing, every single day and sometimes if truth be known ten or twenty times a day.

"I didn't do it to get a reward," Bella said more seriously. "I did it because I saw something I thought would bring you pleasure and you have done so much for me and Melissa that I just wanted to do something for you in return. You are a generous man, Jasper Whitlock and I love you with every ounce of feeling in my soul."

"And I love you," Jasper said as he raised his head and started to kiss the valley between her breasts and then moved to lick and suck her nipple and then the rest of the breast and then the other one. Bella started to purr immediately at his touch and started to get aroused again as well.

"So, are you ready for another round, my mate?" asked Jasper as he looked into her eyes with a wicked grin sending her his lust and desire for her body as well as her soul.

"I'm always ready," Bella assured him as she responded to Jasper's wicked grin with one of our own. "It sure is nice though not to be human anymore as I can no longer get sore muscles and you no longer have to be careful about what you do to me as I will not break if you are rough."

"Yes, that is very nice," Jasper agreed with a seductive purr that immediately made Bella get very wet as that sound was very arousing and also made her red eyes go as black as pitch as her desire for her mate rose.

Bella leaned down and looked at Jasper's now black eyes and started to kiss him all over his face from his forehead, to the tip of his nose, to his cheeks and finally to his lips.

Bella's emotions were of love, desire, lust and most importantly trust and Jasper soaked it all in like a sponge. When Bella was done with his face she moved down to his neck and kissed the side of it where his pulse point would be if he still had a pulse that is. She licked the spot and then gently bit it right over that point, not enough to leave a mark, but just enough to let Jasper know that she was there.

Jasper groaned as his desire for his mate's body rose immediately at that little action, but he waited to see what his Bella would do before he did what he really wanted to.

Bella continued her actions, nipping and licking her way down Jasper's body from his neck to his chest, to his stomach, to his belly button which she gladly and happily stuck her tongue in, which made Jasper almost come off the bed as his climax, which had been building ever since Bella had started her little treatment went almost over the edge but not quite as it just hoovered there for the moment ready to go off at any time, but not doing so.

"Bella!" Jasper groaned. "You are killing me here."

"I am, am I?" asked Bella rhetorically with a wicked grin as Jasper was sending out waves of his desire and lust with his ability and he probably didn't even realize he was doing it either. Bella loved it that she could cause Jasper to lose control not only of his ability but of his body as well. Jasper desired her so much that she was the only one that could get him to just really let go and not think about his actions or what he was doing. "Did I complain when you nearly tortured me to death?" asked Bella rhetorically. "I am just returning the favor. Now accept your present like a good boy."

Jasper groaned, but complied and tried to endure this sweet torture that his Bella was bringing to him by her kisses, nips and licks. It was a long time before Bella was done as she kissed, nipped and licked every single part of his body from his face, to his neck, to his nipples, stomach, legs, thighs and feet. She even licked each one of his toes licking in between the digits.

By the time she was done Jasper was so desperate to be inside her that he could barely stay still despite all his military discipline. His cock was standing at full attention in all its ten inch glory and leaked a steady stream of venom and cum, but Bella had yet to even touch him there where he needed her the most although she had played with his balls licking, kissing and nipping each one while purring her pleasure as she tasted him with her tongue. Jasper meanwhile only held on though sheer stubbornness and force of will refusing to let himself come, until he was buried in his mate's body, even though it was a very painful as well as pleasurable kind of torture. Finally done Bella looked up into his absolutely black eyes and said, "I need you inside me Jasper, desperately." It was not even a second later that Bella found herself laying on her back on the bed as Jasper had grabbed her and changed their positions. Jasper shoved himself inside her immediately and released his seed as he didn't even have time to thrust even once because his climax had built to such a high degree.

Finally Jasper collapsed on top of her totally and completely spent. They cradled each other for a time until they both got their strength back in their limbs and that took a long time as both had lost the feeling in their legs and couldn't move now even if they wanted to.

"I believe that both of us should hunt tonight," Jasper commented finally as soon as he was sure he could actually speak. "Making love like that takes a lot of energy and so the more energy you use the more often you need to eat."

"That makes sense," Bella said lazily as she placed little kisses along Jasper's shoulder and neck. "And now that you mention it my throat is starting to burn even though I just ate two days ago."

"That's because of all the energy we have expanded," Jasper said the smirk in his voice obvious even if Bella couldn't actually see his face.

"I suppose we should get dressed and head downstairs even though I'm sure the other three vampires in this house knew exactly what we were doing as we weren't exactly quiet."

"You're right," Jasper said with a wide shit eating grin not really caring in the least. "Expect Peter to make one of his stupid comments."

"I don't mind," Bella said lazily as she thought of the she had adopted him as a brother, "I'll just put him in his place if he does and I'm sure Charlotte will hit him on the back of the head as well."

Jasper chuckled at that because he knew it was true. Charlotte wasn't about to take any misbehavior from her mate.

"I think that the next house we move to has got to have soundproofing installed in all the bedrooms," Bella commented. "Soundproofing has improved a lot over the years and should keep most sounds inside the bedroom so that nobody can hear what we are doing. They might know what we are doing but at least they won't be able to hear it."

"That's not a bad idea," Jasper admitted. "At least then I could make love to you and the other people in the house might know what we were doing, but they wouldn't actually be able to hear us and to me the two things are totally separate from each other."

"I think it would be well worth it if we did that," said Bella. "So where will we move to next?"

"I thought somewhere like Chicago that has millions of people and it doesn't get all that sunny not often anyway."

"Sounds good," Bella agreed. "Are you sure Melissa and I are ready to be around about 40 million people without causing a massacre?"

"You are more than ready as you both have better control then a lot of ten year old vampires I have known."

"Thanks for your vote of confidence," Bella said snarkily.

"You're welcome," Jasper said not minding her snarkiness at all giving her a heartfelt kiss.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

"Well, look who has finally decided to show themselves," Peter snarked immediately upon seeing them. Charlotte hit him on the back of the head and the face he made, made all the others laugh as if he had kept his mouth shut Charlotte wouldn't have hit him in the first place. Charlotte didn't even have to say anything she just glared at him and Peter fell silent. "Nobody has ever made fun of you when you want to go off to be alone somewhere with me," Charlotte scolded, "so why should you do that to them when they just want to do the same?"

Peter hung his head, but remained silent afraid to say anything it all in case Charlotte hit him again as her slaps could be quite painful.

"Give him a break Char," Bella told her friend and sister lazily from where she sat on Jasper's lap on the couch. "Peter is just being Peter and you know how he is. He doesn't bother me and if he did he would know it."

"So now that you and Jasper have emerged can I see what you bought?" asked Charlotte with a raised eyebrow.

"Of course," Bella said jumping up off Jasper's lap after giving him a kiss and then leading Charlotte upstairs to her bedroom. "So did Melissa show you all she bought?" asked Bella as she and Charlotte entered the bedroom.

"Yes, she did," Charlotte said as she sat on the edge of the bed. "I have to say that Melissa has very good taste in clothes."

"She always has," Bella said as she grabbed items out of her shopping bags. "Of course neither one of us could have afforded some of this stuff without Jasper being so generous with his money, because although we were pretty well off moneywise we still had to watch what we spent so that we would still be able to pay the rent on the apartment and get through college."

"You had scholarships, didn't you?" asked Charlotte.

"Well I had a full academic scholarship, but Melissa only had a partial one that didn't pay for books or other supplies just tuition," Bella said as she showed Charlotte all the she had bought including the lingerie."

"Oh honey, Jasper will love to see you in that," Charlotte said. "I guarantee you it won't last two seconds when he does though."

"I am well aware of that, which is why I bought it," Bella told her friend and sister, with a smirk.

"You deliberately bought them to drive Jasper wild with desire didn't you?" asked Charlotte giggling keeping her voice down so that none of the other vampires in the house would hear her words.

"Of course I did, not that it takes hardly anything to drive him wild and who cares if it's ripped to shreds as I can always buy more and it's not like I'm stripped for funds. A few pieces of lingerie cost almost nothing or at least they do when you have so many millions to your name."

"True, true," Charlotte said giggling as she thought about how Jasper would react the second he saw Bella and one of those teddies. The teddies that Bella had bought were all in individual colors from a deep blue that was almost black, to beige, to a color that looked across between ivory and white, to red, to green, and finally to a true black. "I think a dozen should keep you for a while," Charlotte commented.

"I thought about buying more, but since I can always go back anytime I want now that I have got control of my bloodlust I figured why? I'm not going to use it every time Jasper and I make love because they will start to lose their wow factor if I do, but every once in a while just to drive him wild..." Bella said and then her voice trailed off.

"Did you have any trouble being around all those humans?" asked Charlotte curiously after a moment remembering how much trouble she and Peter had had being around so many humans after they had escaped from Maria. That was a different situation though and they had been used to sating their desires whenever they wanted to and not being around humans or seeing them as anything but food.

"Not really," Bella said as she remembered how she had been mad apprehensive about being around so many humans without Jasper to help control her if she did have any bloodlust. "Oh don't get me wrong I was apprehensive and Melissa was as well, but once we were at the mall and walking around neither one of us had much trouble. I'm not saying that we couldn't smell all the humans blood or that it didn't call to us urging us to bite them, but we were able to resist with just a little trouble. We did have to hold our breaths once or twice, but other than that we didn't have any trouble at all."

"That's a pretty amazing accomplishment for both of you considering you're not even two years old yet," Charlotte said proud of her two friends.

"So Jasper has said on more than one occasion," Bella said feeling very proud of herself and her best friend as well. "Of course he has also said that all vampires are different. Some seem to have few problems others have a lot of them and it takes a long time for them to accumulate to the vampire life."

"Yes, yes, I agree with Jasper's assessment wholeheartedly as I have seen this for myself for the year I was part of Maria's army," Charlotte agreed. "So what else did you buy besides the lingerie that is?"

Bella showed her the clothes she had bought the shirts and the pants.

"No bras?" asked Charlotte noticing the lack immediately.

"No I never have liked bras, not even while I was human so the only time I'm going to wear one anymore is if that outfit I am putting on requires it. I don't really see any reason to wear one anyway considering that my breasts will never sag now that I am immortal."

"You do have a point," Charlotte admitted. "Me I still wear a bra although I think that's more my upbringing from when I was human and a matter of habit than anything else. Back when I was born it would've been scandalous to go without a bra after you got to be a certain age while now in this day and age it really isn't if that's what you want or at least not so much as it was back when I was born."

"You don't have to you know," Bella said.

"No, I don't but I feel uncomfortable without one as I've been wearing one for so many years," Charlotte responded.

"Would you like to see what I bought for Jasper?" asked Bella.

"Of course!" Charlotte exclaimed excitedly so Bella showed her the watch and the necklace that she had bought for her mate.

"These are lovely," Charlotte said as she examined the watch and then the necklace with the crossed swords pointing upwards.

"It was that necklace sitting in the window that drew me into Kay's Jewelers," Bella admitted. "The crossed swords pointing upwards have a lot of meaning just like Jasper told me when he gave Melissa and I his crest. They mean that one is always on guard against enemies both seen and unseen and also since Jasper was a major in the Civil War it also seemed appropriate in that context."

"It's very appropriate as the crossed swords was used both by the Confederate and Union Armies," Charlotte said.

"Somehow I knew that," Bella said thoughtfully. "When I first saw it, it was like I was drawn to it immediately. Maybe I knew that crossed swords was one of the symbols of the Confederate Army when I was human, but I really don't how I knew. All I do know is that it felt right when I bought it for him like I was giving him back a piece of his past even if it's not exactly the same as what was used in the Civil War."

Charlotte was touched that Bella would love her brother so much that she would strive to give him back part of his past, but all she said in order to hide emotions was. "No I don't believe they used real gold or gems for the Civil War uniforms, as that would been to ruinously expensive and they had thousands of soldiers to outfit."

Bella laughed at that and it was a free, joyous laugh that rang around the room. Everybody downstairs had to smile at the sound of Bella's laughter as she had laughed so seldom in the last year or two and certainly not so freely or joyously.

"I'm glad you find me so funny," Charlotte pretended to pout, but secretly pleased that she had made her sister laugh like she hadn't a care in the world.

"It wasn't so much what you said, but how you said it," said Bella lightly. "Sorry didn't mean to laugh at you, but what you said just struck me as enormously funny for some reason."

"I forgive you," Charlotte said playfully causing Bella to laugh again.

"Thanks, even if I don't know what I'm being supposedly forgiven for," said Bella with a smile in her sister's direction.

The two of them talked for a while longer and eventually Melissa joined them and the three girls had a lot of fun together before Bella started missing Jasper a lot even though he was just downstairs. That was the mating bond Charlotte told her friend when she saw Bella's longing look in the direction of the stairs.

"Will it ever get to the point that I don't have to be in his presence touching him for more than a few hours at a time?" asked Bella.

"Eventually yeah," Charlotte assured her. "It's is just going to take a few years in order to get to that point. Once the bond has matured you will still miss him but it won't be quite so bad."

"Well that's good to know," said Bella grouchily, "but now if you don't mind I'm going to go join Jasper downstairs as I am missing him more than ever now."

"That's perfectly fine, honey," Charlotte said as she watched Bella get up and head downstairs at vampire speed and was in Jasper's arm a second later.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

That night Jasper and Bella ran into town in order to hunt down themselves a meal. Bella's ability to tell when someone was truly evil came in handy to help them know when someone deserved to be a meal for a vampire. It wasn't that Jasper's talent wasn't useful in this area, but Jasper wanted Bella to use her talent so that maybe it would strengthen and eventually expand.

The two of them the went into the slum of the city and Bella looked around looking for herself a meal as she was really thirsty at this point. Waiting until nightfall had been torture for her throat as it had started to burn at three or four o'clock in the afternoon. By the time it was truly dark enough for them to go out it was after eight and Jasper knew that Bella especially couldn't wait any longer no matter how many people would still be on the streets at this hour of the night. Usually they tried to feed about midnight or later as vampires didn't need to sleep, but the humans did and so there were far fewer people on the street at midnight or 1 AM or at least not the law abiding sort.

Jasper internally scolded himself for not making sure Bella fed before they had made love so many times. It had been a very pleasurable experience, which was the understatement of the year, but Bella was still not even two years old and therefore got thirsty more easily then someone as old as him did. He was going to have to be more careful from now on until Bella was at least five years old.

"See anyone that piques your interest, darlin'?" asked Jasper as they arrived in the slum section of the city.

Bella looked around and at first didn't see anyone at all although she did hear lots of human heartbeats but most of those were behind closed doors. The one thing with her talent was that unlike Jasper's she had to be looking directly at a person in order to sense his evil. Jasper could just feel someone's emotions from quite a distance away, but her talent didn't work like that.

This section of the city was different from the section with all the clubs and bars as they didn't want to feed out of one area too much in case they were noticed. It was much better to be cautious then not to be.

"Let's walk," Bella told Jasper who readily agreed as he was also looking around for his own meal.

The two of them started to walk slowly surveying the area staying to the shadows so that no one would notice them. Vampires were particularly good at blending into the shadows and most humans never noticed they were their until they were ready to strike and by then it was far to late as they were dead or almost dead anyway.

Finally when they had walked more than a block Bella invade that area again and noticed several men exiting a bar after two young women making suggestive comments. The young women had similar features and so Bella summarized they must be sisters.

Bella studied the leader and she could immediately tell that he was pure evil down to the bone. He had not an ounce of good in his soul at all and so this would be part of her meal if she had any say the matter. As for the other men not all of them were completely evil as two of the six had some good in them but it was so deeply buried that more than likely it would never emerge.

"Jasper those men," Bella said nodding her head in their direction, "the leader in particular is pure evil. Only two have any good in them and it is so deeply buried it might never come out."

"You want us to take them?" asked Jasper with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes and I want the leader," Bella said her eyes going black with rage. "I might not be able to read his mind but I can still sense that he is so evil that he would do anything at all to get what he wants."

Jasper nodded sharply one then said, "Yes I can feel that they are all overcome with lust, also greed, envy and several other emotions although the chief of those is lust as I said before."

"So how do we lure them and get them to leave those two girls alone?" asked Bella.

"Well first we might have to let him take the young woman somewhere and then intervene before they can come to any harm. There are abandoned buildings aplenty in this area, ones that were never torn down and that is more than likely where these men will take these two women."

"I hope they get somewhere soon because I'm ready for dinner and I am absolutely starving," said Bella lightly as she watched the men grab the two young women as one of them was frantically looking for her car keys.

"Oh come on babies all of us need some loving," the leader tried to coo to the women his rank breath practically knocking the woman closer to him over.

"Get away from me you, gasbag," said the woman who was not looking for her car keys. "I don't want anything to do with you or your loudmouth jerk friends. "Your breath smells so rotten that you practically make me gag and you stink so much that I don't want your hands anywhere near me to give me sexually transmitted diseases. Haven't you and your friends ever heard of soap?"

"You will come with us, both of you," the leader said grabbing on to one girl's arm while another grabbed the sister.

"Get off me you no good jerk," said the girl who had been so frantically looking for her car keys spewing cuss words in several different languages.

"I don't know what you just said, but it didn't exactly sound complimentary, but that is about to change because as soon as I have had my way with you and my men have also had you I will kill you both and then you will be dead and then it will not matter what you say," said the leader as he slung the woman he had grabbed by the arm over his shoulder while his chief bully boy did the same for the sister and all the gang bore the two of them down the street looking for an abandoned building so that they could have their way with the two women.

The two women struggled even harder but it was no use as despite the fact that the leader was pretty fat he was still strong and it didn't matter how much that the young woman beat on his back with a her fists he didn't pay it any heed.

As the gang of six followed their leader down the street two vampires followed as well although the gang was not aware of this as vampires were apt at following someone from the shadows as they could be so quiet that there was no way that they would be hard unless they wanted to be

It wasn't long it all before the leader stopped in front of an abandoned building and went inside without a word his gang following. Bella and Jasper immediately went after them to find the gang gathered around in the two young women who looked terrified as they should for as as they knew they were about to be raped and then murdered by this gang of thugs who cared nothing for them other than getting what they wanted and then getting rid of the evidence.

Jasper and Bella stepped partially out of the shadows and the gang turned to look at them the leader studying them and before saying, "Why don't you get out here before you get hurt? This is our business."

"Actually," Bella replied still standing partially in the shadows in order that the men could not see that her eyes were blood red, "it is our business as well. You see you have something that we need and if you won't give it to us we will take it."

"And what is that?" asked the leader pushing out his very fat chest as if to fight. Bella fought the urge to laugh that this slimy piece of humanity would dare to challenge her.

As Bella was doing Jasper was telling the two young woman, "Get out of here go!" The two girls needed no second warning and were gone out the door in a second not looking back even once or bothering to ask who their rescuers were. It was better that neither girl knew who they were or what they were.

"Why your blood of course," Bella said as she struck the leader breaking his neck she was so enraged and was draining him dry in just a millisecond.

While Bella was doing that Jasper struck his own meal making sure to knock the others unconscious with his gift so that they could not get away for not only did they deserve to die for their many crimes the other four men had seen what they were and so could not be allowed to live in any case.

Bella dropped the leader to the ground and then grabbed a second man and drained him as well before she looked up to see Jasper on his second.

Might as well drain another one, Bella mused as she looked at the two remaining humans laying on the ground unconscious thanks to her mate's very useful talent. I'm not really hungry anymore, Bella thought, but I'm not full either so one more should do it and then maybe I will not have to go hunting for at least a week. Of course if she and Jasper did what they had last time to drain both of them of so much energy she might have to go hunting again after only another three or four days instead of a week. The sex had been amazing and utterly mind blowing though so it wasn't like she minded as she enjoyed hunting immensely, and especially hunting with Jasper, Bella mused as she grabbed onto her third and final man.

Now that she was not a newborn anymore she did not need to drain three humans as usually two did it unless she had been involved in a lot of physical activity like she had been the last day or two with Jasper.

"All done?" asked Jasper as he watched Bella drop the last man to the ground now that his body was drained of that life-giving substance that was known as blood. Jasper had just finished his third man a nanosecond ago and had then taken pleasure in observing his lovely mate as she quite rapidly drained her third man and how she held him quite firmly not paying the least bit of attention to his struggles not releasing him until he was dead. In fact the man's struggles had really been almost laughable as there was no way a mere human could escape from a vampire.

"Yes I am ready to go," Bella said as she came and gave Jasper kiss licking a little blood off the side of his cheek. "So what do you want to do with the bodies?" she added after a moment.

"Well this is an abandoned building and all we have to do is set it on fire and leave a few cigar butts and liquor bottles around and the police will assume that they accidentally started a fire when they were smoking and drinking."

"But where do we get the liquor bottles and the cigarettes?" asked Bella raising eyebrows in question.

"Well for the liquor all we have to do is go back to that bar and buy a couple of bottles of brew and that should be enough to start a nice roaring fire and as for the cigarettes I have several packs of them in the trunk for situations like this."

"Too bad you didn't think about keeping liquor bottles in the trunk as well," said Bella with an amused smile.

"I am going to have to start doing that," Jasper said calmly sensing his mate's amusement as she didn't bother to hide it from him not that she could have. "I never come across a situation like this so I never had liquor in my trunk."

"Well you'll have to get some now because who knows if we'll encounter a situation like this again or not and next time we might not have a bar nearby in order to get liquor from."

"A good idea," Jasper agreed giving Bella kiss and licking a little bit of blood off her lower lip. "But now we should be going."

"We should," Bella agreed. "Why don't I stay here while you go get a couple of bottles of wine or something. Somebody needs to be here to make sure nobody discovers the bodies before we set the building on fire."

Jasper agreed proud of his mate for her quick thinking and was gone in a flash. It wasn't more than 10 minutes later that Jasper was back with three bottles of cheap wine that he poured over the men and the bottom floor of the building also placing several packs of cigarettes making sure to scatter them around.

"Let's get out here," said Jasper as he took a matchbook out of his pocket and lit one before throwing in one of the pools of liquor that he had poured on the ground.

"Yes, let's," Bella agreed as they raced out of the building as it went up in flames behind them.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

It was the first day of Bella's and Melissa's third year as vampires and Jasper decided that they were more than ready to start traveling or doing anything they wanted to do. It was also on this day that Peter and Charlotte were leaving and heading back to their house in Texas. They had not been there in two full years as they had wanted to be there for Jasper as Bella and Melissa went through their first couple years as vampires.

"You'll keep in touch, right?" Bella asked her two friends.

"Of course, sugar," Charlotte assured her giving each girl a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "We'll see each other often, I guarantee it."

"We had better," Bella sniffed as she was going to miss Peter and Charlotte dreadfully.

"Yes we had better," Melissa agreed as she was going to miss Peter especially and his antics. She was going to miss Charlotte to of course and just as much, but for a different reason entirely. Charlotte was the voice of experience when it came to being a vampire and she didn't mind sharing some of those experiences which had been a big help to Melissa or Bella so they could work out things in their own minds. Being a vampire was a lot different than being a human, as being one of the undead you had a lot of extra abilities and also had to drink blood while as a human you were much weaker and didn't have to kill what after all had used to be your own kind in order to live.

"Don't worry we'll keep in contact," Peter said as he gave each girl a hug, "and Jasper knows how to reach us if he needs us."

"If you don't see it for yourself first," Jasper said dryly, slapping Peter on the shoulder in a gesture of brotherly affection.

Peter grinned back at his brother devilishly then he and Charlotte climbed into their SUV, which was already packed and ready to go and started the engine and were gone in just a few minutes.

"So what now?" asked Melissa as soon as Peter and Charlotte's SUV was out of even vampire eyesight.

"Well I thought we could do some traveling," said Jasper.

"Travel to where?" asked Melissa looking excited as she had been waiting for this for some time.

"Oh, I do anywhere we want to go really," Jasper said feeling the two young women's excitement. "So where would you suggest we go first?"

"What about Paris?" suggested Bella and Melissa at the same time.

"Paris is supposed to be the most romantic city in the world for young lovers you know," Bella added as she looked at Jasper with a gleam in her ruby red gaze.

"Paris it is," Jasper agreed. "I have been before, but not for many years."

"Oh boy, the Eiffel Tower, walking down the Champs-Élysées...," Melissa sighed her expression dreamy.

Bella looked at Jasper and she didn't have to say anything you all to let him know that she would love to go to the Eiffel Tower and walk down the Champs-Élysées with him.

"There is also Notre Dame, and lots of different museums that would take us a year or two to see," Jasper said while letting Bella know silently that he would be perfectly happy to do these things with the woman he loved.

Melissa made a face at the thought of going to museums as she had never been a big history buff. "I don't know about going to museums," Melissa said. "That isn't really my type of thing."

"You should at least see the Mona Lisa as it is quite famous and was done by Leonardo da Vinci who was a famous painter and inventor," Jasper told her. "I'm sure you are aware by now that I am a history buff, mostly of war history, but of other history as well."

"And I have always liked history, but particularly the Renaissance," said Bella.

Jasper beamed at her as this was one of the many interests they shared and that was one of the reasons they were so close as mates because they did share a lot of interests.

"Don't I know it," said Melissa with a roll of her eyes. "I well remember that you were always going to museums doing your free time, what little bit you had anyway and how you dragged me along once or twice."

Bella shrugged. "What can I say except I've always liked history. It has always fascinated me."

"I don't see why as it is just pages filled with dry facts to be memorized," said Melissa.

Jasper laughed at that loud and long the sound reverberating around the room.

"And what do you find so funny Mr. Whitlock?" asked Melissa playfully poking Jasper in the shoulder with a finger.

"That you find history to be nothing more then dry facts to be memorized," Jasper gasped trying to contain his laughter enough so that he could answer Melissa. "History is so much more interesting then that I assure you."

"The only reason she thinks that as she has had history professors that know the subject but they kind of make it so it has to be memorized from a book when really is much more interesting," said Bella also laughing even though she was well aware of Melissa's attitude towards history. "She has never had a professor that makes the subject come alive for his or her students and that is why she dislikes history so much."

"If you had the right teacher, Melissa that teacher would have made the subject come alive instead of it just being dry facts to be memorized from a page. The teachers you had my have known the subject but they didn't know how to teach it well."

"I have to admit the teacher we had at Columbia was an old, old man and he made even the most interesting lessons seem boring as he just droned on and on," Bella admitted. "I liked history way before I came to Columbia or I would have probably been like Melissa and found the subject very boring."

"You must of had a good teacher than," Jasper said.

"Oh yes," Bella said as she remembered. "It was way back when I was in junior high school and we had this history teacher that made the subject so fascinating that I fell in love with it. I believe his name was Jason Peakes or something like that. He really knew how to bring the subject to life so that his students most of them anyway really fell in love with the subject. Of course it helped that he was a very handsome man in his early 20s and half the girls fell in love with him and not for his mind, but for his face."

"And did you have a crush on him?" asked Jasper wondering if Bella had had a slight crush on her history professor back then.

"No, not me," Bella said as she remembered. "I appreciated his fine analytical mind but I didn't love him. He was nice enough and I did appreciate his ability to teach history and teach it well, but I was never one to fall for just a handsome face although most of the other girls in my class were."

"Well shouldn't we start packing what we want to take for out trip?" asked Melissa after moment.

"Yes we need to do that," Jasper agreed at the moment. "But before we do, where do you want to move after we get back from Paris?"

"We aren't just going to stay here?" asked Melissa seeming surprised.

"No, because as I explained to Bella, Billings isn't really big enough for us to live right outside of it for any length of time. It is only 104,000 people and we can't afford to feed off too many humans here and we've been here for two years already. We need to move somewhere that has a lot more people like New York for instance. I heard on the news just the other day that there has been a increase in mysterious disappearances in the last two years and that the crime rate has dropped as the people that disappeared were both major and minor criminals. When the news station starts picking it up, then it is definitely time for us to move even though it is unlikely that it will amount to a full blown investigation, but as the saying goes it is better to be safe than sorry," Jasper explained.

"It's just that I have grown so fond of this ranch house," said Melissa looking around sadly now that she knew that they would be leaving not just for vacation but maybe permanently.

"We can come back for a visit sometime in a few years," Jasper assured her. "But it'll probably be at least 50 years before we can live here for any length of time again. If it was just one of us feeding in this area there wouldn't be any problem, but between the three of us and Peter and Charlotte we account for 18 or 20 people every week or so and before that it was 55 to 60 people every month. All in all between the three of us and Peter and Charlotte we've caused several hundred people at least to disappear."

"Fed off them you mean," Bella smirked.

"Well yes, but the police don't know that and they just assume that the people have either left town or have been murdered as we didn't leave any evidence at all."

"What about someplace in Canada?" Melissa suggested after a moment still looking sad.

"Or what about Chicago you did mention that as a possibility didn't you?" asked Bella.

"Or we could even live in Paris for a while," Melissa suggested with a gleam in her eyes.

"I don't speak French," Bella protested. "Well except a little high school French," she corrected after a moment.

"I can teach you the language," Jasper assured them. "No problem."

"You speak French, Jasper?" asked Bella in surprise.

"Yes, and Spanish, Latin, Welsh, Dutch, German, Swedish, Greek, Japanese, Chinese, and Italian."

"Ten?" asked Melissa in astonishment. "You speak ten different languages? Fluently?"

"Yes and write them as well, fluently. Several others as well that I know enough to get around whenever I'm in that particular country."

"Wow! How do you keep it all straight?" asked Melissa.

"You'll soon learn that with having a new super vampire brain it is pretty easy to learn new languages or anything really as you only need to hear it spoken once properly and you will know it forever," Jasper told Melissa with a wink. "All you really need to do is listen to some language discs or have somebody teach you who knows how to speak it properly."

"Okay you can start giving both of us language lessons," Bella said have to looking at Melissa who nodded almost eagerly.

"First you'll master French, and then Spanish, then some of the others if you want," Jasper said.

"Well we do have a lot of free time on our hands," Melissa said.

"And we don't need to sleep anymore," Bella added as she gave Jasper a kiss on the lips in order to thank him.

"Now let's start packing!" Melissa exclaimed and she sped upstairs to start packing her things.

Laughing Bella followed her friend and Jasper followed both of them.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

Just a day later, Jasper, Bella, and Melissa arrived at Charles de Gaulles airport in Paris which was the city's only international airport. Once they had gone though customs which was pretty easy as Jasper had made sure that both girls had passports and visas and other things that they needed. That Jasper spoke perfect French did help as the officer at customs respond to his own spoken language and was a lot nicer then if they had just been speaking English.

What they had collected their luggage they all headed to catch a cab.

"Well that customs officer was a lot nicer than I thought he would be," Bella commented quietly enough that only Jasper and Melissa were likely to pick up her words. "I've always heard that the French are kind of snooty."

"Some of them can be," Jasper told her as he hailed a cab. "But since I spoke his language he was a lot nicer than he probably would've been if I had spoken just English. Some of the people think that they should close up and remain isolated and not let so many foreigners in even though it is vital for the health of the country because of trade and commerce."

"So where are we staying again?" asked Bella.

"It's called the Hôtel du Louvre and it is right near the Louvre museum. It is five stars and I have booked two rooms, one for Melissa and the other for us."

"Oh, five-star hotel," Melissa said. "The services must be exceptional."

"It is supposed to be, although I have never stayed at this particular hotel myself. They have valet service if you have a car, free Wi-Fi in all the rooms and some of the public areas, room service 24 hours and several other services."

"Well, certainly not any of us will be using the room service whether it is open 24 hours or not," Bella smirked. "I think we'll have to locate the slum section of the city and get meals there."

"Oh don't worry I know where all the bad sections of the city are," Jasper assured the two young women. "Remember I've been here several times over the years and a vampire never forgets anything. I'll show you where we can get yourselves a meal as soon as we check-in and all that."

"I don't think either of us needs a meal right this minute," Melissa commented as she looked around the city in wonder. All the buildings appeared old or at least in this section of the city they did and that was probably because they were. Paris was an old, old city and the French had tried to keep as much of the old architecture that they could. Finally a cab pulled up and all three got in and Jasper gave the cabdriver the address of the hotel speaking perfect French, which impressed the cabdriver no end.

"So are we going to rent us a car?" asked Bella as she looked out the window and watched the city pass by.

"Yes we are going to rent us a car," Jasper said.

"What kind of car?" asked Melissa.

"Something with a lot of leg room as I've never been able to stand those compact cars. Maybe an Audi, Mercedes or Rolls-Royce," Jasper commented in English. "I am tall after all and I don't feel like being crammed into a little space, even if I can't really get cramps like a human could. We could even rent a limousine one day and take a tour of the city."

"Ohhh that sounds like fun," both young woman said looking excited.

"How long are you staying for?" asked the cabdriver in French.

"A month or so maybe longer," Jasper told the cabdriver also in French.

"Ah, then you will have plenty of time to see our beautiful city and take in a lot of the attractions."

"Which is why we came in the first place," Jasper told the driver. "My wife and I have always wanted to come to Paris and her best friend as well so here we are."

"And you are staying in first-class accommodations so it ought to be in experience to remember," commented the cabdriver. "And you will want to come back someday."

"Oh I'm sure we'll be back, some time," Jasper said as he shared secretive looks with Melissa and Bella from behind his expensive sunglasses, which hid all three sets of their red eyes. The cabdriver did not know that they would probably be back dozens of times over the centuries as they were immortal after all.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

The three vampires stepped into the lobby of the Hôtel du Louvre and the humans instinctively parted before them as if they were the Red Sea.

"Can I help you?" asked the concierge approaching them not knowing why he felt this man and the two woman were extremely dangerous as while extremely handsome in the case of the man and gorgeous in case of the woman were just ordinary customers.

"Yes, I believe you can," Jasper said politely. "We'd like to check in if you don't mind and then maybe rent a car and see some of the sites."

"Do you have a reservation, sir?" asked the concierge.

"Yes we do actually," Jasper replied. "For two rooms one with king sized bed and the other with a double."

"The check-in desk is down at the other end of the lobby, sir," the concierge replied politely.

"Thank you," Jasper said handing the man a large amount of euros as he and Bella and Melissa walked towards the other end of the lobby the concierge watching them go with a puzzled expression.

"Thank you, sir," the concierge as the three of them walked away. Why did he have the feeling that he had just escaped from the jaws of death even though the three of them had been perfectly nice and polite to him?

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

It didn't take long for the three of them to check-in and head up to their rooms to leave their luggage.

"I was wondering if you could help me?" a female voice asked the concierge.

The concierge looked up and saw one of the women that had come in with the man earlier, except without her sunglasses. Her eyes were a brilliant brown that seemed to have hints of red in their depths, which for some reason scared the crap out of him and he hated not knowing why. "Of course ma'am," the concierge answered politely. "What can I do for you?" he asked finally noticing her wedding band, which was a very nice one and must have cost a pretty penny. So she was married to that handsome man lucky girl and that meant the other one was probably a sister or something like that.

"Well my husband and I would like to rent limousine to take us around the city and just to sightsee," the woman said. "My name is Bella Whitlock, by the way."

"Leighton Acton at your service Mrs. Whitlock."

"Nice to meet you Leighton," Bella said graciously shaking the man's hand while smiling warmly at him.

Leighton immediately noticed that the hand was stone cold and had not an ounce of warmth to it.

"Nice to meet you, ma'am," Leighton answered politely.

"So how about that limo?" asked Bella with a raised eyebrow. "We'd like to go to the Louvre, to Notre Dame, the Eiffel Tower, you know places like that." What Bella didn't say was it was supposed to be cloudy and a little rainy all day tomorrow and so they should have no trouble being outside, which was a good thing because they were vampires and they sparkled in the sun.

"I can have one here anytime you want, ma'am," Leighton answered.

"Tomorrow, 6 AM," Bella answered politely.

"I can have one waiting on you ma'am," Leighton answered.

"Thank you very much Mr. Acton," Bella answered as she gave him a wink and a few euros for his trouble.

"You're quite welcome ma'am," Leighton answered as he watched as she walked regally towards the elevator. Now that goes a lady of class, Leighton thought as she disappeared into the elevator.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

The next morning bright and early the three Whitlocks were downstairs and the limo was there along with the driver promptly at 6 AM.

When Bella had gotten back upstairs and told her husband and Melissa how the concierge had reacted to her they had all roared with laughter.

"Now you see one of the advantages of being a vampire," Jasper had said as soon as he had been able to quit laughing, which had taken a few minutes. "That's one good thing about being one of the undead as we can turn on the charm and lure just about anyone into our clutches if we so desire even though they would normally avoid us."

"I had a hard time not bursting into laughter at the way he practically fell all over himself to assure me that my request would be fulfilled," said Bella shaking her head.

"And how did you do with they smell of his blood so close to you?" asked Jasper as soon as he had sobered.

"I did okay," Bella replied honestly tilting her head as she thought back to just a few minutes ago. "My throat did burn a little, but it wasn't too bad and nothing I couldn't resist and Mr. Leighton Acton may be a bit pompous but he is not evil."

"Good," Jasper said pleased and proud as this was a true test of their ability to resist the smell of blood, especially when they were not hungry as they had just eaten yesterday before they had left the area of Billings Montana. It might be hard to imagine flying for so many hours without getting tired all the way from Montana to France, but they were vampires and so they didn't need to rest or sleep. In fact Jasper had began to teach Bella and Melissa how to fly the plane themselves so that they could eventually get their pilots licenses.

Now you might ask why Jasper bothered to have his plane, but if you really thought about it the answer should be pretty obvious. As vampires who wanted to be crammed onto a commercial plane with hundreds of other people with all that blood flowing in their veins when they had a hard enough time resisting? Not to mention commercial plane smelled absolutely horrible as if all the stale sweat the smell of food, drinks and all the other things and soaked into the very skin of the aircraft and vampires had a very good sense of smell. So why put themselves through all that torture especially for two relatively new vampires that were after all only two years old when he could well afford to buy his own plane and so he had, before he had actually met Bella really as he liked his space and he knew how to fly.

The three of them got into the limousine Jasper allowing the two ladies to go first just like the gentleman he was raised to be and once they were settled they told the driver were they wanted to go.

"Just drive around the city for now," Jasper told the driver in French. "Then when the Louvre opens we'll go there first."

The driver complied, "Yes, sir!"

Bella leaned her head against Jasper shoulder taking comfort from the touch of the man she loved, while Melissa simply sat there and watched the view go by.

"Isn't the view just spectacular?" asked Melissa.

"Yes, yes it is," Jasper replied as he looked at Bella and then out at the view.

Melissa got the point and rolled her eyes when she was sure no one was looking. The two of them could be so sappy sometimes, Melissa mused to myself. She supposed that was what it meant to be in love and not just in love, but deeply irreversibly, eternally in love. Melissa sighed to herself and thought that that she would love to find her mate, someday, being the only single vampire in the house could really be a drag sometimes, even though the other two did try to include her in whatever they were doing, but would sometimes get lost in their own little world where nobody else except them existed.

Just as 9 o'clock rolled around the driver pulled up at the Louvre Museum which was just opening its doors.

"I'll wait for you here, sir," the driver said.

Jasper shook his head and handed the man some euros and said, "Why don't you go get yourself some breakfast, and be back here at 1 o'clock. We should be done by then."

"But Mr. Whitlock, this is way too much," the driver whose name was David protested.

Jasper refused to take any of the money back and finally David gave in and drove of heading to find himself some breakfast.

"That was really nice of you, Jasper," Melissa said as the three of them went through the now open doors of the Louvre. Melissa had found over the last two years that Jasper, despite being a vampire was a very nice, honest and trustworthy person to know and also to watch your back if you needed it. Jasper was just so unlike the boys she had dated that it was just astonishing and Melissa wasn't sure if that was because he had been born in a different era all or it was just who he was or how he was raised. Jasper was absolutely amazing and always knew what to do in a situation. He was generous to a fault and showered both of them with gifts and also his love.

Jasper didn't comment and the three of them paid their admission and started to walk around the museum slowly admiring all the different pieces of art.

"And here she is," Jasper said a few minutes later. "The Mona Lisa, which is Leonardo da Vinci's most famous painting. Leonardo da Vinci was considered maybe the most talented man to have ever been born as he was not just a painter, but a sculptor, an inventor, a writer and several other things as well."

Melissa studied the painting and read the short description was underneath. "They sure don't tell you very much do they?" ask Melissa.

"No not really, but you can read up on Leonardo da Vinci on the internet if you want," said Jasper. "There are also quite a few books written on the subject that you can buy if you really want to know more about him."

"Or you can tell me about him and save me from doing all that research," Melissa wheedled. "I'm sure you've read up him and other famous people."

"I have but it is a good experience for you to do the research yourself," Jasper smirked at his daughter.

"Oh, come on!" Melissa exclaimed knowing that Jasper was dead serious about her doing the research yourself. "Why can't you just tell me about him since you have already done the research?" whined Melissa.

"Because you will find that if you're interested in the subject that research can be fun," Jasper told her gently. "Also it will help pass the time since you don't need to sleep. Before you know it you will find that you enjoy doing research and find it fascinating to discover interesting facts about people that lived long ago or of events that happened far in the past."

Melissa gave in with a sigh knowing that Jasper was more than likely right about that although she wasn't looking forward to doing research as she had done a lot of that when she was in college before she had been changed into a vampire, but he didn't have to rub it in!

"Fine! I guess I'll have to do my own research since you are being so closed-mouthed about it," Melissa said, with a pout.

"You can put that very expensive laptop I gave you to good use," Jasper suggested, smirking internally. Just a few months ago Jasper had given both Bella and Melissa laptops now that they knew how to control their strength they wouldn't destroy them if they weren't careful. Learning control became ingrained after only a short period of time and that way they didn't have to concentrate on being careful all the time. "After you have done your own research I will be happy to discuss this subject with you," Jasper added. "We can discuss the pros and cons of the Renaissance era and Leonardo da Vinci if you want."

"Alright," Melissa agreed perking up a little for she enjoyed a good debate or maybe it was argument every now and then.

The three of them walked slowly at a human pace through the museum looking at all the paintings and sculptures and other things that the museum contained. They would not get to see it all today but then they could come back as often as they wanted over the years to see the rest and how the exhibits changed.

"So where are we going next?" asked Melissa.

"I thought we might go to some of the shops and look around," Jasper suggested. "I know you girls miss the malls in Billings but we should deal to find some really great items to buy here as well.

"Gucci!" both Bella and Melissa exclaimed at the same time sounding like twins.

"Cartier!" Melissa added with a certain gleam in her eyes.

"Both of those I've heard of, mostly thanks to Alice," Jasper said shaking his head.

"Armani!" Bella said.

"I never knew either of you cared so much about clothes," Jasper said genuinely amused now.

"We're not as bad as some of the girls we used to know," Bella told Jasper with a wink, "Besides I've always wanted to own something by Armani and Gucci and here's my chance."

"Some of the college women we used to know all they cared about was clothes, clothes and more clothes and usually from expensive brand names that a lot of people can't afford, not on a regular basis anyway," added Melissa.

"Besides now that we won't rip them to shreds just by handling them I would love to have some really nice clothes to go along with my comfortable jeans, t-shirts and sweats. There was no point of even thinking about getting expensive clothes if we were just going to tear them apart the minute we tried to put them on," said Bella.

"Logical," Jasper admitted impressed, "and practical."

"Thanks I try to be both practical and logical sometimes anyway," Bella admitted with a smirk.

Then her expression sobered. "When I was growing up I would always see all these ads for all these really nice clothes by famous brand names and I would dream of someday being able to get something like that and being able to afford to do so and now that I can..." Bella shrugged. "I... well remember when my mother would buy me these clothes that were very embarrassing. She brought this dress once for herself, but it shrunk in the wash and she forced me to wear it to school. It wasn't the kind of dress that a seven-year-old should be wearing as it was designed for a woman grown and the teachers saw me and made me change out of the school's lost and found bin. I remember being so embarrassed I just wanted to die."

Jasper growled lowly at that and promised himself that if he ever ran across Renée Swan he would eviscerate her—slowly and as painfully as possible. No one hurt his mate emotionally or otherwise and lived to tell the tale. Part of him hoped that he never encountered her so that he wouldn't have to kill his mate's last living relative but the other part of him hoped he did very much so.

"Your mother is a lousy, scum sucking excuse for a human being," said Melissa then went off into a string of cuss words in several different languages.

Jasper's lips twitched at some of what Melissa said as he understood all of it. Apparently Melissa knew how to cuss in about five or six different languages even if she didn't know anything but that. "I believe that is anatomically impossible."

"So you say," Melissa said flinging her long, black hair over her shoulder in a gesture of defiance. "It might be anatomically impossible as you put it, but doesn't mean she doesn't deserve it to happen to her."

"Excuse me, but what did Melissa just say and since I don't know what those terms mean I need you to explain to me," said Bella as politely as she could radiating impatience and curiosity.

Jasper told her and Bella tried not to burst out laughing as they were still in a museum but she still snickered—as quietly as possible.

People started to looking at them in curiosity so the three of them moved on Bella still snickering quietly. "Where the hell did you pick up such language Lissa?" asked Bella still snickering. "Didn't your mother teach you any better?"

"She tried," Melissa said innocently. "But what can I say except that I picked up a lot of the language from my brother who is in the military if you remember and the rest of it I picked up at college as most of the men and women there don't exactly have very clean language."

"But calling my mother a whore and the offspring of a diseased camel who had sex with a goat and who also had sex with the devil in order to produce her is very original and I'm positive you didn't pick up any of that from the college students."

"Blame my brother," Melissa said with a smirk, looking unrepentant.

"You ladies ready to leave this place?" asked Jasper.

"Yeah, sure," said Bella and Melissa nodded agreeably.

"We can always come back some time."

"That we can and will," Jasper agreed as the three of them wandered their way back towards the entrance of the Louvre Museum.

They exited the museum just at noon and just in time to see the limo pull up to the curb.

Jasper told the driver to head to Cartier.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

By the time they got back to the hotel overloaded with bags it was nearly 7 o'clock and it was still at least four or five hours before they could go out and get themselves a meal. Unfortunately Paris unlike Billings was a city that never completely slept and a lot of the citizens or tourists were up at all hours of the day and night and so they were going to have to be really careful not to be seen when they went to find themselves some dinner.

Even the slum area of the city never completely slept and people were always coming and going. Going to work or going to play it didn't matter. The slum area wasn't as busy after it got dark simply because anybody with any sense avoided such areas after dark, but that didn't mean there wasn't still quite a bit of activity in the bad sections of the city no matter the hour, although it was slowed to a mere trickle of what it was in the day time.

"So what do you want to do while we wait for it to be late enough for us to go hunt?" asked Bella with a raised eyebrow.

"What about some cards?" asked Jasper. "I could teach you ladies how to play poker, that is if you don't already know how."

"Sounds good," Melissa said with a wicked grin and Jasper had a feeling he was about to be played for a fool. "But do you have a pack of cards on you?"

"Actually I do," Jasper said as he took a pack of cards out of his pocket. "I bought these at the hotel gift shop."

"Let's play some poker!" Melissa said rubbing her hands together in glee as she had learned to play from one of the best poker players she had ever known and that was her brother.

"Why do I have a feeling now about to be taken for a fool by a card shark?" asked Jasper rhetorically.

"Because you are?" suggested Bella with a raised eyebrow. "Didn't I ever tell you that Melissa is one of the best poker players I've ever known? I believe it was her brother who taught her. She always cleaned out everybody who dared play against her."

"Oh boy," Jasper muttered wondering what he had just gotten himself into as he watched Melissa shuffle the cards professionally at human speed.

"So what are the stakes?" asked Melissa as she finished shuffling the cards expertly at human speed.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

At 11 o'clock the three of them exited the hotel not even bothering to go by the front desk and went down the fire escape that was on the same level as their room.

"Which direction do we need to go?" asked Melissa as a three and them reached street-level.

"This way," Jasper said as he led the other two out of the alley and towards where he knew where one of the slum sections of the city was.

The three of them stayed in the shadows and away from street lights, so as to avoid being seen by the humans that were still out and about. They calmly ran towards one of the poor sections of the city and it wasn't long it all before they got there considering vampires could run practically as fast as lightning could strike.

"I'll see you back at the hotel," Melissa said as soon as they had arrived at a section of the city that was good for hunting themselves up a meal as it was obviously a much poorer area as it looked all run down and some of the buildings looked like they might be abandoned.

"Alright," Jasper agreed calmly, "just be careful you don't kill some innocent bystander by mistake as this is an unfamiliar city to you and you don't speak the language very well yet."

"I'll be careful," Melissa promised before she was gone.

"Well, my mate, shall we go hunt us up a meal?" asked Jasper with the wicked gleam in his eyes.

"Yes," Bella agreed eagerly. "I've been wondering if Parisian blood tasty different from American blood."

"Not really," Jasper told her with amused gleam in his eyes. "Since I've had all kinds of blood over the years and it all tasted the same unless you've drunk a lot or taken drugs, which does change the taste."

"Oh well," Bella said with a shrug, "There is something to be said for experimentation after all."

"Yes there is," Jasper agreed as he and Bella started running hunting down their own meal. "Experimentation is what has brought society to where it is today for if people had never discovered things we'd probably still be back in the Stone Age."

It wasn't long, no more than a few minutes at most before Jasper and Bella came to an even more rundown part of the city and they started looking around for a meal as both were getting very thirsty.

The two of them started to walk casually staying in the shadows looking around at the buildings, which were in even worse shape then were where they had started from.

"See another human being around?" asked Bella as she to looked around her eyes roving over every dark corner and alley being able to penetrate the blackness far better then human eyes. Bella did hear a lot a heartbeats but as far she could tell most of those were behind closed doors and not out in the street.

"There!" said Jasper quietly pointing as he finally spotted several human beings who appeared to be drunk and who were chasing what appeared to be a barmaid.

Bella surveyed the scene and looked at the men seeming to look deep into their souls from her position across the street. "Those boys aren't exactly evil," Bella told Jasper. "They're selfish, cruel and greedy and a lot of other things, but not really pure evil. They are young enough that they could learn better if they don't get themselves killed that is."

"Does that mean you aren't going to make a meal off them?" asked Jasper, with a smirk already knowing the answer.

"No," Bella said calmly. "I'm too thirsty to be too picky tonight and besides those boys at least 24 or 25 and you you would think that if they were going to learn better they would have done so by now."

"Not necessarily," Jasper disagreed. "Sometimes humans don't really mature until they are at least 30 or 35. Oh I know they are considered grown-up by society, but a lot of them don't really mature by 18 or 19. It really depends on the environment and how they were raised. If they were spoiled and had everything handed to them on a silver platter then of course they're not as mature as most other people who had to work or who grew up poor are."

"Well whether or not they were raised with silver spoons beneath their tongues does not give them the right to be cold and cruel to the people around them so I think I will make at least one of those boys my meal and if you want one of the others then so be it," said Bella with a certain gleam in her now completely black eyes.

"Take two," Jasper said calmly as he started to send out emotions of sleepiness so that the girl would not see what was happening and therefore would not have to be killed, which also affected the three boys or rather young man and that were chasing her. "I'll take the other one and then maybe find me someone else."

Bella nodded and then was gone in a flash across the street to where she just grabbed one of the boys in an iron grip and started to drain him without ceremony and the young man was too groggy to really consider fighting until he didn't have the strength to do so.

Jasper observed his mate for a second admiring her style and then he too was across the street and latched onto another one of those boys making sure like Bella had done that he dragged his prey deep into the alley where no human could possibly see that they were feeding as the alleyway was almost completely pitch dark except for the moonlight streaming down from the night sky which gave the two vampires plenty of light to see by.

Once Jasper was done with his own man he found Bella placing the girl up against the filthy alley wall.

"She will either wake up and not realize what happened or that she was being chased. It might perhaps seem like no more than a dream or somebody will find her and wake her up when they discover that she is not dead," said Bella.

"She will more than likely suffer a few nightmares as her subconscious forces to deal with the memories, but that is all it should amount to," Jasper added as he watched his Bella arrange the young woman's limbs so that she was at least comfortable.

"That can't be helped," Bella replied giving Jasper a kiss. "I would think having to deal with a few nightmares would be better than the alternative."

"Almost certainly," Jasper agreed returning the kiss. "If you want to head back to the hotel you can do so, but I am going to go searching for me another meal. If you want to come along that is fine too, but either way I need something else to eat."

"I'll come with you," Bella decided. "Melissa's perfectly capable of taking care of herself for another hour or two without one of us there to supervise."

"Are you sure about that?" Jasper snickered.

"Yes, I'm sure about that," Bella replied also with a snicker as Jasper did have a point about Melissa. "She does know how to behave and just because she doesn't sometimes doesn't mean she isn't capable of it, when she has to."

Jasper knew Bella was right and so the two of them started running side-by-side together while Jasper hunted himself up another meal.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

By the time Jasper and Bella walked into the room from the window where the fire escape was Melissa was already there waiting on them. "There you two are. I was wondering if you were going to get back before dawn," Melissa said.

"Were you worried?" asked Bella smirking at her friend.

"Not really," Melissa claimed. "I was more worried about you being out after sunrise because you would sparkle in the sun then about you."

"Liar," Bella told her friend not even needing Jasper's talent to let her know that Melissa was fibbing.

"Am not!" Melissa protested knowing that the game was up and that Bella and Jasper both knew her too well to accept her explanation as anything but a big fat fib.

"Are too!" Bella told her friend.

"Ladies, ladies let's not argue," Jasper said wading in before the argument could get out of hand playing the peacemaker.

"Fine!" Melissa pretended to pout but Jasper just gave her a stern glance and she gave it up as a lost cause. "So what are we going to do for the rest of the day?"

"Well, if it is not too sunny," Jasper said. "I thought maybe we could go out and see some more sites."

"And if it is?" asked Melissa.

"Then we'll just stay in all day, play games or watch TV and go out and see some of the nightlife," Jasper said. "The Eiffel Tower in particular is really spectacular all lit up once it gets dark."

"Now there is something I've really been looking forward to doing," Bella exclaimed with a certain dreamy gleam in her red eyes. "Going to the Eiffel Tower with your boyfriend or girlfriend or husband or wife is supposed to be one of the most romantic things to do while you're in Paris."

"If you two are going to go all lovey-dovey on me leave me here as I don't want to feel like a third wheel," Melissa said. "I know you two need a certain amount of time alone so maybe it's better if I just go out on my own tonight and leave you to do whatever you want."

"No Melissa we don't mean to exclude you," Bella protested although only halfheartedly. "We'll try to tone down the lovey-dovey stuff around you since it makes you uncomfortable."

"No that's okay you two do need some time by yourself and now as it is good time as any to give it to you."

"Thanks, Melissa," Jasper said as he gave her a kiss on the cheek and a hug. "There are a few ground rules that we'll have to go over before I'll allow you to go off on your own."

"And they are?" asked Melissa resigning herself to the fact that she was going to be given rules like she was a teenager, but on the other hand she was a new vampire that wasn't even four years old and Jasper was just looking out for her since he did love her. At least she was going to be allowed to get out on her own and that was something anyway.

"One: take your cell phone and you are to call us every hour and tell us your location just in case you get yourself in trouble as there are other vampires in this city that could do you harm," Jasper began. "Two: you are to be back in your hotel room at least half an hour before dawn and call us and tell us you if we are not in our room yet. Three: If you do drain a human by accident and somebody sees you are to call us immediately even if you have gotten rid of the evidence just so we can make sure. Four: you're not to go off alone with any man or boy no matter how nice they appear to be, as even though they wouldn't be able hurt you, you can very easily rip one apart if you try to have sex with a human."

"Like that last one is going to happen," Melissa snorted.

"You never know," Jasper said with a shrug.

"Are you really worried about other vampires, Jasper?" asked Bella as she had listened silently as Jasper had explained the rules to Melissa. "If you are maybe its better if she doesn't go out on her own."

"I'm not that worried, no," Jasper said, "I wouldn't allow her to go out on her own if I was, but it is always a possibility and even though you two have been taught to fight I'm not sure you're ready to take on more than one or two vampires at one time on your own. If you get surrounded by a whole gang that could lead to serious trouble. Besides that kind of thing is more likely to happen out in the countryside or wilderness not in a major city like Paris. Still it is better to be safe than sorry."

"I know the danger as you have drilled into our often enough over the last two years," Melissa said trying not to look as if Jasper's words had affected her. "If we were captured by a whole gang of vampires, nomads or whatever we would be raped and played with again and again until they grew tired of it and tore us apart and burned the pieces." Melissa shuddered a little at that unable to help herself for it was a horrible fate to contemplate much less have actually happen.

"I wouldn't worry most vampire who are nomads don't travel in groups of more than three or four at most," Jasper assured the two young women who still looked a little worried. "You should be able to take care that many just as long as none of them have any special talents that are useful in battle. Besides if you really believe that I wouldn't come looking for you, you are sadly mistaken and I would make those vampires regret ever having messed with a member of my coven."

"You would take them apart?" asked Melissa eagerly a almost manic gleam in her ruby red eyes as if she was a warrior or at least had a warrior's spirit that thrived on battle.

"Oh yes, I would take them apart and then saving the leader for last burn the members of his coven while he watched and then burn him. While I was doing that I would use my talent to make sure he knew of my displeasure and make him feel as much pain and misery as possible before I did that."

Bella and Melissa didn't seem at all put out at his somewhat savage attitude and Jasper was again grateful that they were in his life and how they had changed it.

"Besides you two are hardly defenseless," Jasper said.

"No we aren't, but we aren't as good as you are," Bella told him as she gave him a kiss.

"No you aren't, but you have to remember I have almost two centuries of experience behind me and you don't. Also I am a little stronger then you two since I am a man and most men are stronger then women when it comes to sheer brute strength. That isn't always true of course, but on average most men are just stronger and that includes especially vampire men."

The two young woman were not at all offended at Jasper's words as they knew it was true, but while most men might be stronger than women, women made up for that by being smarter and more cunning so it averaged out. That wasn't always true of course as there were plenty of exceptions to every rule.

Both young women had been trained to fight by him, Peter, and Charlotte and they had learned well. Both of them appeared to have the warrior spirit as they soaked up everything they were taught and learned pretty quickly even for vampires. Also the two of them were always picking up new moves by watching the martial arts movies and even going to a couple of martial arts tournaments that had been in the Billings area. Both seemed determined that they would never be defenseless against the worst of vampire kind.

Jasper was very proud of them and had told them so as they had taken to vampire life like ducks did to water.

The three of them played Scrabble on a board that Jasper had bought the last time they were out just so they would have something to do while stuck in the room. Jasper always beat them as he knew far more words then they did although Bella was a close second and Melissa was a distant third.

"I won't be surprised if someday in the next 10 or 20 years, you'll manage to beat me," Jasper told Bella sending her his pride at her accomplishment. "I believe that the only reason I managed to beat you now is that I have been around for a long time and therefore know far more words then you do as I read a lot. You read a lot to though so it won't be long before you start to beat me on a regular basis."

"I'm looking forward to it," Bella said with a certain challenging gleam in her ruby red gaze.

"What about me?" asked Melissa knowing that she would probably never beat him unless it was by sheer dumb luck, because he would never just let her win she had to earn it. She wasn't the reader that Bella and Jasper were, although she did read some Jasper and Bella both seemed to devour books, fiction, nonfiction, fantasy, sci-fi, biographies or anything really with astonishing speed over the last year or so once Bella had gotten ahold of her strength. It seemed to be a kind of contest between them to see who could read more books in a month so she would never be able to compete with them when it came to knowing more words then they did.

"Have you been doing that research like you said you wanted?" asked Jasper changing the subject which Melissa didn't mind in the least.

"Yes whenever I have some free time," Melissa said. "Luckily I can read at vampire speed so it doesn't take me long to scan an article and you were right, damn you, the subject is so interesting that I don't mind doing the research."

Jasper couldn't contain a smirk at that and Melissa rolled her eyes letting him know that she was exasperated with him, but Jasper just continued to smirk at her.

"I always thought all that all research was so boring that I didn't know how anybody could stand to do it for any length of time without falling asleep," Melissa said after a minute. "But maybe that had more to do with the fact that the subjects that were available for research at the college weren't very interesting or at least not to me anyway then with the idea that sometimes research is necessary and not necessarily boring. And you knew this you scoundrel," Melissa told Jasper shaking a finger at him. "You knew that if I researched a subject that I was interested in that it would not seem boring at all but a whole different kettle of fish."

"I did," Jasper admitted not looking it all ashamed of himself at the way he had manipulated Melissa into doing research.

"You were determined to get me interested in doing my own research weren't you?" asked Melissa already knowing the answer.

"Yes, I was," Jasper said, "and I won't apologize for manipulating you like that. I only did it because well...I for one like a good argument now and then or debate if you prefer. Besides I thought that someday you and Bella might want to go back to college and finish your degree that you didn't have a chance to do before since you were turned into vampires. I thought it would make it easier on you if you didn't think all research was boring as there is a lot of research involved and papers that are done in college."

"Can we actually do that?" asked Bella who had been silent up until now. "I always felt so guilty for not finishing my degree, even though it was my decision."

"Someday," Jasper told his mate gently giving her a comforting hug. "If you do that though there are certain conditions that will have to be met in order for you to go to college like a normal human."

"Like what?" asked Melissa curiously.

"Well since red eyes are not a human color you would have to wear contacts to your classes," Jasper replied causing both girls to groan at this as the few times they had had to wear contacts it had been an extremely uncomfortable experience. "And you would have to make sure that you fed every day that you had classes just to be on the safe side that is. A well fed vampire is much less likely to attack someone then a hungry vampire is, not that that is any guarantee."

"Anything else?" asked Bella.

"Well he would have to make sure that you can stay in control around humans all day if you had a full day of classes and not just for a few hours," Jasper said.

"We've been at the mall practically all day," Melissa protested.

"You know full well that sitting in a classroom next to another student with dozens of others surrounding you is totally different from going to the mall, not to mention all the students that will be in the halls," Bella told her friend. "At the mall we aren't packed in like sardines in a can and so it is easier to resist the call of blood, but if we do decide to go back to college there will be no personal space and we will be packed into classrooms that are hot with sometimes dozens of other humans who are sweating surrounding us all with the pulse of blood just beneath their skin calling to us. Jasper's precautions are sensible if you ask me as he is just making sure that we don't reveal ourselves for what we are by attacking another student in full view of other humans."

"You're right," Melissa said thoughtfully. "I never thought of it that way before but you are right."

"Nice to know you see my point of view," Bella smirked.

Melissa didn't reply just stuck her tongue out at her friend.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

"We'll shall we get going, my mate?" asked Japer as he and Bella prepared to leave the room as soon as it got dark enough. It was just a little bit after five and although it was just twilight it was still dark enough that they would not glimmer in the sun. Melissa was coming with them partway and they were going to drop her off at some of the shops that were on the way.

"Yes," Bella said looking around the room just to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything before grabbing her purse throwing the strap over her shoulder and then the two of them walked out of the door hand-in-hand. They knocked on Melissa's door that was right next to theirs and it was opened so fast that if it hadn't been for Bella's vampire speed then she probably would have fallen.

"Anxious to get out of here," asked Jasper with a chuckle as he kept Bella from falling although that was unlikely for a vampire.

"Yes, I am although I could have just taken a cab," said Melissa.

"Why when we are going to be driving near where you want to go?" asked Bella. "We'll just drop you off and you can take a cab back or run."

"Let's go!" Melissa exclaimed as Bella could understand her anxiety to be gone from this hotel. This hotel was very nice and had many nice features, but that didn't mean that Melissa wasn't tired of being indoors when there were so many things to do or see but since it had been sunny out they couldn't go outside. Besides this was going to be the first time that Melissa had been allowed to go out on her own since she had been turned into a vampire and Bella couldn't blame her for being ready to go and do what she wanted without anybody else around to interfere with her new found and hard won freedom.

Jasper got into the driver seat of the car that he had rented while Bella got into the passenger seat.

The car was a dark gray a Mercedes G-class AMG SUV and Jasper had practically drooled when he saw it. The SUV had handcrafted AMG 5.5L biturbo V-8, 7-speed AMG speedshift transmission, AMG E-Select gearshift, ECO Start/Stop system, permanent all-wheel drive with 2-speed transfer case, three lockable differentials, extraordinary off-road aptitude, AMG high-performance braking system, antilock braking system, brake assist, electronic stability program, adaptive braking technology, trailer stability assist, confident, capable suspension...

As for what all that meant neither Bella or Melissa had a clue as they had never been so concerned what went into a car so long as it worked like it was supposed to. Even when Jasper tried to explain it to them it still didn't make any sense so he finally gave up.

"You two don't know a damn thing about a high-performance vehicles, do you?" asked Jasper humor lacing his voice.

"No sorry we never worried ourselves with what went into a car so long as it worked," Melissa told him with a grin

"Although we do appreciate the speed," Bella added as she gently patted the dashboard of the SUV from where she was sitting in the front seat.

"Which is certainly a change from when you two were human," Jasper chuckled at the two of them causing both Bella and Melissa to laugh still a little embarrassed about the fact that as humans they couldn't stand going to fast as it made them hurl as they did vaguely remember being afraid of going above the speed limit when they were human.

"Yeah, why don't you open this sucker up?" chimed in Melissa from the backseat after sticking her tongue out at the man she thought of as a father. "We're no longer human after all so it's not like we can empty the contents of our stomachs all over the nice interior of this very expensive car."

"That's true, you can't, but unfortunately we can't as we don't want to be pulled over by a cop, now do we? Or at least we can't while we are sill in the city where there are cops everywhere, but perhaps we can go for a drive out in the country where we can really open this baby up." Jasper suggested although he would have dearly loved to open it up and go at whatever speed it was capable of right at this moment and not wait until they were out in the countryside where their were fewer cops, but his common sense overrode his more reckless side and he kept his speed to within the speed limit.

"That sounds like a really good idea," Both girls sounding excited.

"And just so you know, ladies," Jasper said the amusement plain in his voice at their reactions, "I plan on buying one of these babies as soon as we settle somewhere. I also know how to modify them so they will go even faster and I'll be happy to teach both of you want. At least you like speed now unlike when you were human," Jasper commented.

"It's different now," Bella told him. "We are vampires now and cannot be hurt if we just happened to crash even though I know that it's unlikely since our reflexes and sight and everything else are better equipped to deal with speed unlike when we were human."

"And I believe I already mentioned about throwing up? Well as I said I can't do that as a vampire and I can't be hurt either so I would love to have a car like this now that I am not only practically indestructible but can't lose the contents of my stomach from go a hundred and fifty miles or more an hour," Melissa said she looked around at the tricked out interior that was all in a soft dove gray. "Except I think I would prefer red or blue."

"Green for me," Bella chimed in. "Dark forest green. I have always loved that color as to me anyway it has always seemed soothing."

"I'll be perfectly happy to buy you two ladies cars now that you have gotten control of your strength and won't rip the car door off it's hinges as soon. We'll do that just as soon as we settle somewhere," said Jasper. "If you don't want a Mercedes there is always other expensive cars like the Aston Martin's for example or Audi's. You're welcome to pick the model and color.

"No Jasper, that's okay we can buy them," Bella protested and Melissa nodded vigorously in agreement. "We haven't really had a chance to spend any of that money that you so generously gave us and this is the perfect opportunity."

"We could use your expertise though as we don't know the first thing about cars and definitely not expensive cars," Melissa added.

"I would be glad to offer you my expertise on the subject," Jasper said privately thinking that he was going to buy those cars even if the girls didn't want him to. Whatever his two girls wanted they were going to get no matter what and what they had wanted so far was hardly unreasonable. The both of them had made his life so much happier and more complete than it ever had been before either during the Southern Wars or when he was with the Cullens. Well the Cullens as a coven or family was gone now as Carlisle was now dead and he had no idea what had happened Esme at all. The only four members left were Esme, Rose, Emmett and Alice and he hadn't seen any of them in months.

It was only a few minutes later that they dropped Melissa off at her destination and were on their way to the Eiffel Tower.

"It'll be so romantic," Bella said as she laid her head back against the headrest holding one of Jasper's hands in hers. She loved his hands with this long slender fingers that could strum an instrument like a guitar or use a sword with equal dexterity. He was such a talented man and she loved him more and more every day. She sent him her love and he did the same and brought her hand to his lips and kissed it as he continued to drive through the night.

His kisses always sent little tingles of fire through her and it didn't matter where he kissed her at all whether it was the back of the hand, the forehead or the lips as she always felt as if she was a live wire whenever he did that or even touched her for that matter.

Bella raised his hand to her lips and kissed each of his fingers, then the back and finally the palm causing him to shiver a little at her touch.

"I love you, Jasper, so much, and it doesn't matter a bit as to whether you never spend another penny on me or not I will always love you even if we were forced to become nomads I would still love you."

"And I love you," Jasper said his voice husky. "It doesn't matter where we are or what we are doing so long as we are together. I am far happier in the last couple years then I have been ever since I was turned and that includes my time with the Cullens. You have made my life much more complete since we discovered each other."

"I feel the same way," Bella assured him. "I always knew, subconsciously at least, that something was missing from my life I didn't know what it was or even if it existed I just knew that something was not quite right. Oh I was content enough, most of the time, but in my free moments, whenever I had time to think about it I often wondered if I would find someone to really love me for who I was and somebody to love me in return without trying to change them or them trying to change me. I wanted someone who accepted me for all my faults and all my gifts and I had sworn to myself that if I found someone like that, that I would do the same for them that they would do for me. Then you came into my life and merrily proceeded to turn it upside down." Bella's rather intense expression lighted at that last comment causing Jasper to chuckle.

"I did rather turn your life upside down, didn't I? Yours and Melissa's although I know Melissa was not part of the original equation."

"I wouldn't have it any other way and I know that Melissa feels the same even if she wasn't part of the original equation," Bella assured him giving his hand a gentle squeeze. "Melissa looks up to you as an older brother, a father and a wise counselor all rolled into one."

Jasper would have blushed if he could have but managed to say somewhat dryly, "I'm not sure she knows me very well if she thinks of me is all those things."

"She does know you, very well actually just like I do and it is you that does not know yourself if you do not see that you are all those things and more. You are a kind and generous man, a warrior, a philosopher and always give sound advice or know how to solve a problem, which I know comes from your many years of experience. I know that if you had ever had the chance to have children that you would have been an excellent father although I am glad you were turned by the bitch Maria even if it denied you that particular opportunity."

Jasper would have blushed again if he could have as it was not often that he was complimented. "I think you and Melissa are prejudiced and seeing things aren't really there," Jasper grumbled trying to not to show how touched he really was.

"We are not seeing things that aren't there," Bella told him quite a firmly in a tone that Jasper had never heard from her before. "You need to quit putting yourself down and that's an order. You need to learn to accept compliments when they are sincerely given. I believe wholeheartedly that you would have been at least some of these things had you remained human and I also believe that if you had grown to be an old, old man you would have been all these things to lesser degree then you are now, but only because you would not have had time to learn the things you know before your time on this Earth was done."

Jasper closed his eyes, but only for a second as he was still driving the car and tried to comprehend what Bella had just said. He had never thought of himself as any of the things that Bella had just described him as and yet she and Melissa did think those things of him. In a way it was very flattering, but also in a way he wasn't sure if he could really be all those things or live up to them, but then decided that if Bella and Melissa saw these things in him then he already was and he just had to have confidence in himself.

Jasper set up straight and continued to drive as if nothing in the world was wrong at all.

"And it doesn't really matter if you see these things in yourself, just that Melissa and I do and that's all that really matters well...that and that you continue to be who you are and will always be no matter the circumstances."

"You have quite a way with words," Jasper said somewhat dryly.

"Sometimes I do," Bella agreed with a chuckle not at all fooled by Jasper's tone, which was as dry as it could be with just a bare hint of humor underneath. Besides Jasper was projecting his emotions and probably didn't even realize that he was doing it as that happened sometimes when he was upset or not sure of himself.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

"Well, here we are, my Bella, shall we climb to the very top?" asked Jasper in a light tone as he parked the SUV.

"Yes we shall," Bella agreed. "Isn't it just a beautiful sight?" Bella added as she looked at the Eiffel Tower, which was all lit up almost like a Christmas tree except much more dignified.

"Yes it is," Jasper agreed softly as he put his arm around Bella's shoulder.

"Don't forget the camera," Bella added. "I want plenty of pictures even though I don't need them to a remember this time by."

"I have it," said Jasper taking the camera out of his pocket. The camera was a Panasonic Lumix TZ5 one of those very new small digital cameras that was the best recommended camera of the year and also one with one of those memory cards that could hold thousands of pictures at one time before needing to be deleted or transferred to another place.

"Good," Bella said as the two of them walked to the Eiffel Tower from where they had parked and paid their admission fee which was €15 each.

Once that was done the two of them used the stairs to get to the top as they were much less used and they didn't feel like being crammed onto the elevator with all those humans and having to hold their breaths in order to prevent themselves from biting someone because of the smell of blood of so many people in very close proximity. A lot of people looked at them funny when they took the stairs, but enough other humans were using them that they didn't rate more than a glance.

"Well I suppose it's one way to keep in shape," Bella commented and then whispered so quietly that only Jasper or another vampire could have heard her, "if you are human and not a vampire that is."

"Or maybe they're like us and they didn't want to be crammed on to the elevator with so many other people," Jasper suggested quietly. "After all quite a few humans suffer from claustrophobia, the fear enclosed spaces."

"You're probably right," Bella admitted. "I don't remember ever suffering from that particular anxiety disorder, but then I don't remember ever being in a situation where that would have been a problem so I might've had it and then I might not have I just don't know."

"Your mother didn't ever close you up in a closet or something like that?" asked Jasper trying to make it sound like an innocent question.

"No I don't believe she had it in her to be that cruel," Bella said. "Lazy yeah, she was lazy to the bone a lot of the time. Forgetful definitely, as she often forgot to pay the bills and if they got paid, I paid them. Reckless most certainly, as I can't remember the number of times I had to convince her not to do something crazy like skydiving or bungee jumping." Bella rolled her eyes as she remembered. "Neglectful of her child and forgetful that a child needs to be loved and needs attention, oh yeah as I was often left on my own, but she wasn't really what I would consider cruel."

"And you don't consider being forgotten about for long periods of time especially as young as you were neglect or cruelty?" asked Jasper in genuine surprise.

"Well, yes I suppose it was, but in a way it was a good thing as I was smart enough not to get into a situation that might get me into trouble and I'd rather be left on my own then be her unpaid and unappreciated servant, which I was anyway but not as much as I would have been if she had been there all the time. She often went out on dates and sometimes brought those sleazebag boyfriends of hers home."

Jasper growled softly at that then said, "If any of those sleazebag boyfriends of you're mother's laid a hand on you I'll go find them and rip them to shreds and that's not just a threat, but a promise."

"No I never gave them a chance to lay a hand on me," Bella promised him softly kissing his cheek causing Jasper to relax a little. "There was one time though that was a pretty close call actually. There was this guy that Renée was dating whose name was Rex I believe and he pounded on my door as Renée had gone out for a moment and he wanted me to come out but I was smart enough not to do that and I even climbed out the window and stayed outside behind some bushes until I was sure he was gone. Rex didn't have enough brains to fill a thimble and how Renée could actually like him I don't know as his only attribute as far as I could tell was that he was strikingly handsome, but I also know that he would have raped me if I had let him so I didn't."

"How old were you?" asked Jasper quietly as the two of them stood on the observation deck surrounded by a lot of other people although not as nearly as many as there would have been in the daytime and looked at the twinkling stars which they could see more clearly thanks to their enhanced eyesight.

"10 or maybe 11. I can't quite remember, but I definitely wasn't older than that," Bella replied.

"Would you object if we went to Phoenix and I hunted this snake down and drained him dry?" asked Jasper furiously, but also a little apprehensively as well.

"No, I wouldn't object at all actually, because even back then I could tell that he was...well maybe not totally evil, but still a bad person and that was before I was turned into a vampire and gained my talent," Bella said.

"And your mother?" Jasper asked leaving the question hanging in the air and Bella thought about it. She had broken off all contact with her mother that was true but did she really deserve to die by being drained of her blood?

Bella thought about all the times she had been left on her own and even though those had been a blessing in disguise that didn't mean that Renée had been right to just abandon her like that because what if there had been an accident or the house had caught on fire? Just because none of those things had happened had been more because she was smart for her age and instinctively knew how to stay out of trouble. Most children would not have survived being left alone and unsupervised she knew well. That nobody had ever reported her mother to child services was a miracle all by itself. Also she had also been something of an unpaid servant in her own home because if she hadn't paid the bills, washed dishes, learned cooking, cleaned and did laundry no one would have. Her mother's sleazy boyfriends though had been the last straw and that was what had made her decide to break off all contact with her as soon as she could get away by going to college and she had done exactly that even though it had been three or four years later before she had been old enough and finished high school. She had escaped and had sworn to herself never to go back to Phoenix just in case she ran into her mother who would probably try to make her into an unpaid drudge for the rest of her life, but only if her mother by some miracle hadn't been thrown out on the street for forgetting to pay the bills.

Bella well remembered how she had used to get out of the house whenever her mother had had one of her sleazebag boyfriends by as she wasn't about to let any of them have a chance to rape her. She often wouldn't go back until after midnight and that was only if she was sure that the boyfriend had left and hadn't decided to stay over. If the boyfriend had decided to stay with Renée for the night she had gone to the YMCA that gave space for people to sleep.

She admitted that she had used one quite often until she had gone away to college and gotten away from her mother.

Suddenly as she remembered all the years of neglect and the fact that Renée had brought all her sleazebag boyfriends into the home with a child who could very possibly have been raped or at least hurt made all the fear and anguish that she had been keeping inside for years come forth.

Did she not love her mother? When she had been very young, before she knew any better, yes she had loved her mother, very much, but as the years had progressed and Renée had shown so little concern for her welfare was when she had stopped loving her, which was a long time ago. It hadn't even hurt to cut off all contact with her as she had stopped caring about what happened to her mother years ago. So going back to Jasper's question did she really want her mother to be killed by a vampire and to top that off to be killed by the man she loved? The answer to that was an unequivocal yes!

That Jasper was willing to go to very sunny Phoenix and track her mother down not to mention Renée's former boyfriend Rex just to drain them dry on her behalf made her feel a lot better. Of course she would feel better still if she got to drain at least one of them dry.

"No I wouldn't mind if you wanted to feed off my mother," Bella finally told him quietly.

Jasper's face lit up at her decision as he had been waiting rather anxiously for a response, but had allowed Bella to process her thoughts and feelings without saying anything as he didn't want to influence her decision in any way. "So when do you want to go?"

"Well it doesn't have to be done immediately," Jasper said quietly. For this whole conversation they had been talking so quietly that no human hearing could possibly have picked it up even if somebody had been standing right next to them and the room was totally silent and not full with people looking out of the stars or heading to the gift shop for vampire hearing was very advanced while human hearing anything but. "For one thing I don't want Melissa involved in this if it all possible."

"Why not?" asked Bella curiously.

"Because this project is yours and mine," Jasper explained looking suddenly fierce. "If Melissa comes along she will want to be involved and drain at least one of them dry just for what they did to you because she loves you, but since it is only two people we'll be going after she needs to remain behind as they'll be one for each of us, but not one for her and I don't want Melissa to feel left out if she got involved."

"Won't it to be kind a hard to keep her out of it?" asked Bella a little anxiously.

"Probably," Jasper admitted, "but I believe it can be done although if she finds out about it afterwards she's going to be hurt that we didn't involve her."

"Your right, it's just a you and me project," Bella admitted it after thinking about it for a moment. "You are my mate and that gives you the right to do this for me and even though you really didn't have to ask for my permission I'm glad you did as if means you are treating me like an equal with an equal share in the decisions and yes, Melissa is my best friend, but it is not quite the same thing as a mate nor does it come with the same kind of responsibilities that being one does. So how are you going to keep Melissa out of it?"

"Give me a while to think about it and I'm sure I'll come up with something," Jasper said in reply.

"Maybe send her up to visit Peter and Charlotte for awhile?" Bella suggested. "She and Peter did kind of bond and I'm sure she would be happy to go and visit them."

"That is a good suggestion," Jasper said sending her his pride making her glow like she always did when he sent her his feelings, whether it was his love, his lust or his pride in her accomplishments.

"Maybe we could tell her that we never got a honeymoon and so we want to go and have one now that I've gotten control over my bloodlust and everything," Bella suggested quietly giving Jasper a seductive wink which made the Major part of him demand that he take her right there no matter how many people were around. Jasper managed to subdue that part of him, but with extreme difficulty causing the Major to growl in frustration and rattle the bars of his cage so hard that Jasper almost lost control but managed not to—barely. "We can tell her that we're worried about her being on our own for so long and that Peter and Charlotte could use her company. The beauty of it is, is that it is all true, which Melissa will recognize even if she thinks we're up to something."

"And we really could take a honeymoon after we accomplish our mission," Jasper suggested also giving Bella seductive wink that made Bella all wet down in her pussy just from that look alone and also shot little lightning bolts of feeling along her skin, which only made her wetter. She was sure Jasper was well aware of what his wink had done to her as a vampire's nose was very sensitive and from the look he was giving her Bella knew she was right.

"So you want me, my mate?" Jasper asked quietly with a wicked grin on his lips knowing her answer very well.

"You know very well that I do and what your looks do to me," Bella replied. "I almost wish we were alone so we could both do what that look usually leads to, but unfortunately we are not and I don't plan on going back to the room until it is close to dawn."

"We will follow up on it as soon as we get back to the room," Jasper promised, seductively.

"I'm looking forward to it," Bella said nonchalantly as she gave him a kiss on the lips as the people streamed around them or stood watching the stars not paying any attention to what appeared to be just a young couple very much in love and Paris was the city of love and romance after all.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

"So where to next?" Jasper asked as they finally exited the Eiffel Tower two hours after they had entered it. They had gone by the gift shop and bought a few small trinkets, but other than that they had had enough of just looking at the stars.

"It's still early," Bella said looking into watch which said it was only 7 o'clock. "So why not a dance club? You've never taken me dancing."

"Your wish is my command, my lady," Jasper with an extravagant bow as he opened the car door for her with a flourish.

"You're such a gentleman," Bella told him giving him a kiss on the cheek in thanks.

"It's how my mama raised me to be," Jasper replied with a grin.

Just then the phone rang for the second time of the night and Jasper check the number and then answered it, "Yes, Melissa? Ah, uh, well I'm glad everything is going so well," Jasper told his daughter. "Yes, I'll expect a call in another hour."

Jasper hung up the phone and then turned to Bella and said, "Melissa is apparently doing really well on her own and having the time of her life her with unprecedented amount of freedom."

Bella grinned her husband, and then said, "I knew she would. Melissa has never done well with rules and regulations although I will admit she has been doing better since she was turned into a vampire, but when she was human the stories I could tell you about all the times she got herself into trouble for bucking the rules..."

"I'm sure you could," Jasper said sending Bella his amusement. "I'm not sure that Melissa would appreciate you telling me all the stories of her misbehavior though."

"Definitely not," Bella said with a wicked grin, "which is all the more reason for me to do so, don't you think?"

Jasper couldn't help but laugh and Bella started to relate one story after another of how Melissa could get herself into more trouble than she knew what to do with without even really trying it seemed.

"It always started out innocently enough, but quickly accelerated which is what got her in trouble," Bella said as she finished a story. "She never went so far that she was going to get a expelled for it, but she did have multiple black marks on her record from her antics."

"She sure was quite the mischief maker, wasn't she?" Jasper asked.

"Oh yes, and make no mistake she still is. Just because she hasn't caused that much mischief in the last couple years doesn't mean she won't if she has a mind too," Bella replied.

"May you live in interesting times, indeed," Jasper muttered mostly to himself.

"Isn't that some kind of Chinese curse?" asked Bella.

"Yes," Jasper replied, "but it was also said by George Bernard Shaw."

"The Irish playwright, right?" asked Bella.

"That's right," Jasper said. "I actually met him once, after I had escaped from Maria. He moved to England and he was 92 when he died."

"How did you meet him?" asked Bella interested.

"Well I was traveling from place to place back then and I was in England just wondering from town to town when I came upon this man being attacked by a bunch of thugs. I saved his life and I still don't know why, but I did and in doing so I saved a great man. It was 1942 and about eight years later I heard that he had passed away, natural causes. I remember very vividly that he offered to buy me a drink, in thanks for saving his life, but I refused saying I didn't drink, which was very unusual back then. It was night when I saved him, but it was approaching dawn and I knew that was my cue to leave, before I started to sparkle in the sun and also I didn't want him to see my eyes which, were still red from drinking human blood as I hadn't met Alice yet."

"So when did you meet Alice?" asked Bella.

"About a year later actually," Jasper replied.

"I wonder if Alice saw what you did and that was what made her search you out in the first place?" asked Bella.

"If she did she never told me that she saw me saving a great man's life," Jasper said. "I suppose we'll never know and it doesn't really matter why in any case as my years with the Cullens was what I needed to civilize me so that when I met you years later I wouldn't just kill you on sight."

"Would you have really killed me if you hadn't spend all those years with the Cullens?" asked Bella not at all afraid of him but merely curious since it hadn't happened after all.

"There was at least a 99% chance I would have," Jasper told her calmly. "I was quite savage and wild back then and I can almost guarantee that I wouldn't have recognized you as my mate without those years that I lived with the Cullens and we have had this discussion before way back when you were just a few days old."

"I remember," Bella said sobering a little. "I know we've had this discussion before, and I know you told me you were quite feral, savage and wild, but it's just that I have a hard time imagining you like that and not as a man I know and love."

"That is because you have never seen what some people will do when they are desperate or when they have just escaped from an environment that would have driven most people whether human or vampire insane," Jasper told her. "You are also very goodhearted and therefore it's probably hard for you to really imagine the evil in the world despite your talent."

"You're goodhearted to though, Jasper," Bella told him.

"But I have also had experiences that you have not had or at least have not had yet," Jasper said. "And for a long time, believe me, no one sane would have considered me goodhearted at all, but evil, feral, dangerous, wild and savage as I just took what I wanted and drained anybody no matter how innocent or guilty they were. It is only after I met Alice that I begin to change and living with the Cullens for all those decades completed that change in me. Even after I went back to human blood I still maintained my humanity, unlike before."

"Before though you had just escaped from some of the bloodiest fighting known to our kind," Bella reminded him, "so of course it took you a while to return to the man I know and love now." Bella was silent from moment then said, "I almost hope I never get those experiences, but on the other hand I would really like to understand what kind of environment you were raised in from the moment you were changed into a vampire," Bella said. "It's a good thing I can't sleep anymore though or I would probably have nightmares if I could. "

"Probably," Jasper agreed soberly.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

Jasper pulled up at the dance club a few minutes later and the two of them got out and headed inside. There wasn't much of a line, but that was probably only because it was still fairly early for this type of place as they didn't get going until 11 o'clock or so and then stayed open all night, closing just as the sun began to rise about six.

They immediately got into the swing of things as Jasper escorted Bella onto the dance floor and they began to dance together for the first time.

At this particular time the dance club was playing a slow song and so it was a good opportunity to really get into things a little more slowly then with a fast song.

"May I cut in?" asked a male voice in the middle of the song.

Bella looked at the human that had dared interrupt her times alone with Jasper and said quite rudely, "No you may not I'm dancing with my husband, go away."

"Ah come on," the man wheedled not realizing the danger he was really in for all he saw was an extremely beautiful woman that he wanted for his own. "I'm sure you can do better than this guy," the man said. "You need a real man not this pussy."

Jasper growled lowly at that and not because of what the man was calling him, but because of his emotions which were lust and greed and anger that he was having so much trouble in what he wanted.

Bella and Jasper had both removed their contacts as they knew the club would be dark enough that no human would be able to tell the true colors of their eyes mistaking them for either brown or hazel.

"Excuse me a minute," Bella told Jasper making sure he knew that she was just going to deal with this irritant so they could get back to their dancing. The man grinned triumphantly thinking he was about to get what he wanted when Bella calmly twisted his arms behind his back and had a painful enough grip on them that she was hurting him and going to leave bruises at the least. Bella whispered in his ear in a tone that told the man instantly that he had made a mistake bothering her and her husband, "You will leave us alone or you will regret it as I'll be on you so fast that you won't know what happened to you and then you'll be dead."

"Is that a threat?" asked the man really afraid now as he had a feeling that the woman would carry it out and then get rid of the evidence so that she was never caught.

"It is and you had better take it as as one," Bella hissed in his ear. "Oh and there's no point of telling anybody of my threat for you will just look like a coward for letting a mere woman get the better of you. If you do tell anyone I will know and I will come for you in the dark of night when you are supposedly safe in your bed and kill you so slowly that you will wish you were dead long before I allow you to leave this world and go to hell where you belong. I will then gleefully dance on your grave after I dispose of your body and bury it somewhere it will never be found. Do we understand one another?"

"Yes," the man said looking terrified.

"Good," Bella said. "One more thing. If I ever hear about you harassing another woman I will come for you. Do we understand each other?"

"Yes," the man replied backing away from Bella as soon as she released him and turned and walked away trying to conceal his trembling as he knew that he had just escaped off a very sharp hook by the skin of his teeth.

Bella joined Jasper who had found them I table as he waited for Bella to be done with that musclebound irritant.

"So what did you say to him?" asked Jasper as soon Bella had sat down. "I could feel his fear an pain from here."

Bella told him and Jasper tried his best not to smirk in satisfaction. It appeared that his mate could be quite savage when she was of a mind too and that fact pleased him no end as he could be quite savage himself. They were even a better match as mates then he had thought originally.

"How are you going to know if he doesn't follow your orders?" ashed Jasper.

Bella smirked and produced the man's wallet that she had pickpocketed out of his back pocket without him noticing. Apparently vampire reflexes came in quite handy for things like that.

"I got his wallet right out of his back pocket without him even noticing it was missing and he'll not realize he doesn't have it probably until much later. From this I'll get his name and address and I'll keep an eye on news reports and also check the internet news and things like that. Don't worry I'll know if he does it again especially if he commits some type of sexual crime as they always get big headlines."

"I am impressed," Jasper told her sincerely as he had no problem with a bit of thievery now and then when it was warranted. He sent her his pride which made her glow and smile at him. "I had no idea that pickpocketing was one of your skills."

"It wasn't as a human, but as a vampire well it was just too easy. It was very unlikely that anybody was going to see me in such a crowded, dark club and so I used vampire speed in order to snatch it out of his back pocket without him even noticing."

"You still had to have a pretty light touch so you didn't rip his pants getting it out and that is what impresses me the most, because as a vampire sometimes you can't help but have a heavy hand especially when you're a new one like you are."

"It's a good thing I didn't think of these things beforehand or I probably would have done exactly as you described from sheer nervousness," Bella said a little sheepishly as she put the man's wallet in her pocket and therefore out of sight.

"Well shall we get back to dancing?" asked Jasper raising an eyebrow as if asking if she was still game.

"Yes we shall," Bella agreed as she took Jasper's hand in hers both of then heading out to the dance floor to continue dancing the night away nobody else bothering them.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

The two of them got back to the hotel room just a few minutes before the dawnlight lit up the sky. They had already had a call from Melissa to let them know that she was back in her hotel room right next door and planning on staying there doing some research.

Both Jasper and Bella knew that this was Melissa's way of saying that she was giving them time to themselves, which was very nice of her.

"Now, my mate, I believe I promised you something as soon as we returned to the hotel room, Jasper said his tone already husky with desire.

"You did," Bella agreed as she stripped out of her clothes at vampire speed, "but before we do that why don't you go and fill that gorgeous tub in the bathroom that we have not had a chance to use yet since Melissa has always been around."

The tub in question was one of those sauna ones that was sunken into the floor with blue and white bathroom tiles surrounding it in a checked pattern. It had several different kinds of jets and a whirlpool to boot, which would make it very relaxing and the perfect place for them to have a leisurely lovemaking session.

"As you wish," Jasper agreed easily as he had seen Bella eyeing that tub that was big enough for at least four people somewhat wistfully on more than one occasion over the last several days.

"Tub is filled," Jasper called after just a few minutes. Bella raced into the bathroom and immediately plopped down where the seats were and she immediately felt the jets activate as the hot water soothed her tense muscles.

Jasper joined her and the two of them just sat in silence for a few minutes letting the hot water surrounding them relax their muscles. It was true that vampires couldn't get sore muscles, but they could be tense and hot water helped them with that just like it would for a human.

Finally Bella turned to Jasper and started kissing the side of his neck, which was one of the spots he was very sensitive the other one was on his inner thigh.

"Aaahhh," Jasper sighed as Bella continued to kiss along his neck then down to his chest and finally to his stomach that was underwater not seeming to care that it was in the least.

"I need you now, my mate," Jasper said urgently as Bella continued her treatment. "I've been needing you since the Eiffel Tower and how I resisted taking you in front of all those humans I do not know."

"Then have me, I'm yours," Bella assured him spreading herself out so that he would have easy access to her body even the part that was currently underwater.

"Lay down on the side of the tub," Jasper ordered his voice very husky with repressed desire. Bella instantly obeyed and climbed out of the water laying herself down on the cold tiles at the side of tub as her mate had ordered and spread herself out with her legs as far apart as they would go so that Jasper would have easy access to every part of her body.

Jasper positioned himself over Bella's spreadeagled body and then looked down at her and at her very exquisite figure which promptly made him salivate every time he saw it. She was just perfect in every way. Her breasts weren't to big and just to right size to fit into his hands and she had just the right amount of body fat and muscle in all the right places that made her figure absolutely exquisite and delectable at least in his eyes.

"I am going to mark you," Jasper spoke his voice a soft growl and Bella recognized that it was the Major coming to the fore. "I am going to mark you. Do you understand, my mate?"

"Yes I understand," said Bella looking up into Jasper's red eyes to let him know that she was not afraid. "Do what you will, you don't really need my permission as I am yours."

"That's right I don't need your permission and you are mine and no one else's," the Major growled ferociously. He lay down on top of her beginning to kiss her at a rapid pace all over her body and Bella purred and moaned and groaned in pleasure trying to keep the sounds down so that somebody didn't come to see if anything was wrong.

"Do you know why I'm going to bite you, my mate?" asked the Major stopping his kissing and licking for a second.

"No I do not would you care to explain it to me?" asked Bella as politely as possible given the circumstances, as her climax began to build quite rapidly.

"Because you went off with another man even though I know all you did was threaten him. You must realize that that is no no unless I give you specific permission beforehand as I am a very jealous vampire and you will know from now on that you are mine and mine alone to do with as I will. That man's scent was all over you and if I had him here I would drain him in just a second for putting his hands on you at all."

Bella realized her mistake immediately for the Jasper she knew, was patient, kind, forgiving and many other things was gone for the moment and the Major had come to the fore and apparently he was the very jealous type and even though all she had done was threaten Gregory Forbes he was still jealous.

"So I see you understand your mistake, my wife," the Major told his mate as he saw she had realized her error in her eyes. "This is good as it means you will not make it again in the future."

"I am so sorry, major," Bella told him sincerely. "I had no idea that me threatening Gregory Forbes would make you so jealous or possessive."

"You will remember from now that I am always jealous and possessive where you are concerned as you are mine alone. Mine!" the Major roared loud enough that if the walls were not so thick that that sound would have brought security running.

"Yours!" Bella agreed not at all afraid of the Major's anger or possessiveness as she knew he would never hurt her. She reached up a hand to tenderly caress his cheek. "I am all yours," Bella assured him again. She sent him her emotions of eternal, never-ending love and devotion, which were so strong that the Major actually started to fade a little from Jasper's eyes.

"You are mine," the Major said again but this time his voice was softer with just a hint of warmth beneath the cold steel.

"Yes, I am. Yours," Bella agreed again trying to assure the Major with her emotions as well as her words that she was his for all time and no other man would ever measure up.

At her sincere words and emotions the Major started kissing all over her body again and finally inserted the general into her pussy far more gently and Bella expected him to considering how rough he had been just a few moments ago.

"You are mine for all eternity and I will not give you up for any reason whatsoever," the Major said almost gently as he kissed her on the lips and pushed in and out twice more before releasing his seed into her and biting her on the left shoulder instead of at the neck giving her a new mating mark.

The mark on Bella's shoulder stung like hell until the Major leaned down and used his venom coated tongue to soothe the wound until it quit stinging. "I love you so much, my mate," the Major said as Jasper started to show out of his eyes again. "I couldn't bear to lose you now as I went through my existence until I found you miserable even though I had no idea I was. Jasper was content with the Cullens, but I struggled to be free, but he kept me locked away. You my mate, taught me humanity and how to love and I will not lose you for any reason."

"You never will," Bella said and reached up to stroke the Major's cheek and kissed him on the lips tenderly and yet passionately at the same time.

The Major seemed to absorb the kiss and the love behind it before Jasper fully came back from where he had been and the Major was gone for the moment.

"Are you okay, Isabella?" asked Jasper looking worried. "I hope the Major was not to rough on you."

"What have I told you about that," Bella scolded Jasper half playfully.

"I believe you said that you accept me whether it was the Major or me as we were both the same man even if we had two parts to our personality."

"Exactly and that is still true," Bella told him stroking his cheek tenderly with her fingers just like she had done with the Major and watched as Jasper purred in happiness and contentment at the tenderness of the gesture. "Actually it was kind of strange," Bella said as she thought about it. "At first he was very upset that I had gone off with Gregory Forbes even though it was just to threaten him. He was very jealous and possessive if you want to know the truth, but after I showed him several times that I would never leave him for anybody else and that I loved him no matter what he became almost tender and loving. He did bite me but I don't really mind that as you did warn me that he would happen more than one time."

"The Major tender and loving? That is very hard to fathom for me as he has never shown such emotion in all the years that I have been a vampire," Jasper said.

"Maybe it has to do with the fact that you have finally found your mate and he knows that I love him and you unconditionally as you are the same man just with two distinct parts to your personality," Bella suggested kissing Jasper on the nose.

Jasper thought about it and then thought about the last couple years when the Major had come out several times although never for that reason. "I believe you may be right," Jasper finally admitted. "There is no way to be absolutely positive though as we are into new territory here."

"It's the only reason I can think of for such a change in the Major," Bella said. "Love has been known to do wondrous things to people who are hard like he is."

"You're probably right," Jasper admitted, "but now, my mate I have other plans for us now that I am back in control of my body and the Major is back in his cage."

"Which he seems to escape with alarming regularity," Bella joked.

"Yes, he does," Jasper said teasingly, "but he has never hurt you and never will because you are his entire existence as without you he and I would cease to be."

"As I would if anything happened to either of you," Bella said as she softly stroked one hand through Jasper's hair, which was so soft that she just loved to touch it and run her hands through it.

Jasper gave a sigh of contentment at the tender touch of his wife and mate and then he started doing things to her that made her purr, which got louder and louder until the sound practically reverberated off the walls.

Finally Jasper stuck two fingers up into her pussy and quickly found her clit, which he immediately began pinching and rubbing causing Bella to give a muffled purr, muffled because Jasper's lips were over her mouth in order to keep the sound down, and causing her hips to buck up as if trying to get closer to the source of so much pleasure.

Finally Jasper inserted the general into her dripping wet pussy, unable to wait any longer and rammed himself inside. Every time he entered her it was as if he had come home as that was the feeling he received whenever he entered his mate's body and he knew that Bella felt the same as she had told him once that all he had to do was touch her and little lightning strikes would start to make their way throughout her body and that only got a thousand times more intense whenever he pushed the general into what they both considered his home. If it had been possible both would have walked around connected to each other all the time as they both groaned at the loss of contact every time it was necessary for them to separate in order for them to function.

It wasn't long before Jasper released his seed into her for the second time that night—although once had been as the Major—and Bella groaned as her climax burst upon her and wave after wave of pure pleasure racked her body. Bella was only vaguely aware that Jasper had to come as well and that he had been holding himself back from coming until she did, which she thought was the sweetest thing she could imagine as he had denied himself pleasure just to allow her to come first and that truly said like nothing else that he loved her for he thought of her needs before his own.

By the time Bella came down from her orgasm Jasper was laying beside her on the cold tiles of the bathroom floor stroking her hair, and whispering that he loved her.

"I love you too," Bella told him as she calmly got up on her elbow and stroked the side of Jasper's cheek letting him know with her emotions that she loved him unconditionally and wholeheartedly. That her feelings for him were as deep as the ocean, never-ending.

"Well do you want to get back in the tub?" asked Jasper. "Or head to the bed as either way I plan to make love to you for what remains of the day."

"It doesn't really matter to me," Bella said feeling rather lazy and not really wanting to move anymore at all. "We can get back in the tub if you want as it's not like either of us is going to wrinkle since we are vampires or we can go use the bed, but the choice is yours. If you do choose the bed though you are going to have to carry me because I'm feeling way too lazy and relaxed to move anymore at the moment."

Jasper smirked as he knew very well that what he had done to her was what made her feel too lazy to move and that was because she had just had come down from her orgasm, one of the most mind blowing ones to date. "You feeing to lazy to move, hm?"

"I am," Bella replied as she summoned up a smirk for her mate. "And you know damn well why I feel like my whole body is made of Jell-O as his name is Jasper. It took a lot out of me just to get up on my elbow."

Jasper smirked again and gently picked her up and started towards the bed leaving the bathroom behind. "I am going to spend the rest of the day showing you how much I love you, my mate," Jasper said gently.

"That's perfectly fine with me," Bella assured him as she reached up and stroked a finger down the middle of his lips, "but only if I'm allowed to show you how much I love you as well."

"I would be delighted for you to show me that," Jasper assured her as he laid her gently and tenderly on the bed spreading her legs and putting in one of his legs between her thighs and the other on the left side so that she couldn't close her legs. Bella knew by that gesture that Jasper was going to spend as long as possible showing her his love and that she was not going to be allowed to reach her climax until he was damn good and ready. Bella almost purred at that thought as she loved it when Jasper was so tender and wasn't in a hurry to climax as he was capable of keeping both of them from coming for a very long time. There was something to be said for being over 160 years old as he had learned quite a few things in that amount of time, discipline and patience among them. He could probably keep both of them from coming for days if he really wanted to although their desire for each other usually prevented them from having really prolonged lovemaking sessions.

"The first thing I'm going to do is lick your nipple until it is puckered into a little peak," Jasper began and Bella shivered at the sound of his voice alone, which was like liquid velvet. "Then I am going to bite all along that nipple and take the peak into my mouth and suck on it until you are just about ready to come from that alone and then I'm going to release it as I don't want you to come for a long, long time."

Bella shivered again anticipating the pure pleasure that would eventually come.

"After I have treated that nipple I'm going to treat the other one the same way and do the exact same thing," Jasper continued to explain exactly what he was going to do to her. "Once I am sure your nipples and breasts have been throughly treated to my nips and kisses I will move to the valley between your lovely breasts and lick and kiss and nip there until you are just about ready to go over the edge."

Bella groaned at that for Jasper well knew that she was very sensitive in the valley between her breasts and it barely took more than light touch from him there to make to make her come.

"You're determined to kill me, aren't you?" Bella asked rhetorically.

"Oh, I'm just getting started," Jasper assured her sending her his lust and desire causing Bella to get wet immediately down in her pussy and her eyes to turn black with desire.

"After I have nipped and licked that area I am going to move down to your lovely flat stomach," Jasper continued. "Once I am sure that area has been thoroughly nipped, licked and kissed I am going to stick my tongue in your belly button."

Bella whimpered and started to whither beneath him silently begging him to get started, but Jasper was not yet ready to begin and Bella had a feeling that he was trying to kill her just with his words alone and he was succeeding very well.

"I am then going to move down to your gorgeous, beautiful, lovely inner thighs and do the same thing I have already done to the rest of your curvy, lithe body."

Bella knew immediately that he was going to save her pussy for the very last not caring if she pleaded, whimpered or begged for him to put out the fire in her belly that would remain until his cold seed was released in the part of her body that she needed it the most. In other words he was determined to torture her to death through pure pleasure. She could hardly wait!

"Once I have just treated your lovely feet including in between your adorable toes I am going to start on your neck which I have been saving for next to last as your graceful, lovely neck is one of my favorite parts of your body if only because that is where my mating mark is that made you mine."

"I was already yours, mating mark nonwithstanding," Bella panted hoping he was getting ready to do what he had just taken such pains to describe to her. "I was yours from the first moment you saved me from that rapist or maybe it was the first time we had made love just hours after meeting, but just know I have always been yours and always will be."

"And I was yours as well from the first moment I set eyes on you," Jasper assured her. "I will never bother looking at another woman as long as I have you and if anything happened to you it wouldn't be very long anyway before I would soon follow you into death." Jasper paused and then begin to describe what he was going to do when he finally allowed himself to pay attention to another favorite part of her body, which was her pussy.

"Are you ever going to do all these things you have described me you just want to torture me with your words?" asked Bella finally when Jasper appeared to be done with his descriptions.

"I'm going to do them alright," Jasper told with an absolutely wicked grin that drove Bella wild with desire or maybe a better description was more wild then she already was.

"Let's get started, shall we?" Jasper asked rhetorically as he began to do exactly as he described just minutes ago and started licking and nipping her nipples and then her breasts.

"It's about bloody time," Bella muttered causing Jasper to chuckle from where he was attending to her her left breast before he would move to her right.

Bella could feel the orgasm building just by the way Jasper licked, nipped, kissed and fondled her left breast, but just as she believed she was about to have her first orgasm Jasper stopped causing Bella to groan in disappointment.

Once Bella's orgasm had subsided to the point that she wasn't about to go over the edge Jasper started on her right breast and did the exact same thing, bringing her to the very peak of her climax and then stopping just long enough for her orgasm to subside before he continued his treatment.

It was an indeterminate time later that Jasper finally reached her neck and started the same treatment that he had done for the rest of the body, although by that point Bella had almost had at least half a dozen orgasms, but Jasper had pulled back each time so that she didn't go over the edge.

"The skin of your neck is so soft," Jasper murmured as he continued to kiss up and down the side of Bella's long, graceful neck, moving to her throat and kissing, nipping and sucking where the pulse point would have been if she had been human.

Bella purred and thought to herself that she had been doing that a lot in the last however many hours.

At this point the fire in Bella's belly was so intense that she just knew that if she didn't get relief soon that she was going to literally expire from the pressure even though she was a vampire.

Finally after what seemed an intermediate time later Jasper finally seemed to be done treating her neck and Bella hoped that meant that he was going to immediately dive into her pussy because the fire in her belly was so intense...

How Jasper had lasted so long without pushing the general into her Bella had no clue as she was sure that his erection was very painful and had been because for the last few hours as he had refused to relieve himself until he was damn good and ready.

Finally Jasper stuck one finger into her pussy and made immediate contact with her clit causing her body to practically come off the bed as it had done quite a few times in the last few hours.

"Finish it!" Bella ordered Jasper quite harshly. "Aren't you done torturing me yet?"

"Almost," Jasper said as he calmly stuck another finger into her pussy and then his tongue licking up her delicious wetness.

"You must not be flesh or venom or bone for you must be made entirely of steel to be able to torture me this way and not let me or yourself climax."

"No," Jasper chuckled as he didn't really blame Bella for thinking that he was nothing but steel with no feelings or emotions whatsoever. "Just my many decades of experience."

"Damn your decades of experience," Bella told him quite ferociously.

Jasper chuckled again, but complied to Bella's silent plea and finally shoved the general so hard into his mate that he didn't even have time to pull it out even once before his seed was spurting out into Bella's pussy, which lasted a long, long time. It seemed at least an hour later before Jasper's cock finally stopped spurting out his semen and was actually only about two minutes and a half, although that was still a long time for a man's cock to continue having little eruptions of semen, but then a again most men could not do what Jasper had just done.

Once Jasper's seed was released into Bella's pussy it immediately putting out the fire that was burning in her belly and causing both of them to climax so hard and violently that it was quite some time before they came down from it and even longer before they could speak. The only reason they hadn't blacked out was because they were vampires, but if they had been human they probably would have ended up having heart attacks as the climaxes combined were so powerful that Jasper was surprised that the lights in the room weren't blown out at least.

"Wow!" Bella said as soon as she was sure that she could actually form the words.

"Yes, wow!" Jasper echoed.

"How long did you torture me?" asked Bella not sure she could actually move her limbs at the moment.

"It looks like about five hours," said Jasper looking at the clock. "It is now 7:30 at night."

"We made love for five straight hours without either of us climaxing once?" exclaimed Bella in astonishment. "Five hours? Doesn't that number seem absolutely ridiculous to you? How in the hell did you avoid climaxing for so long as you must have been a great deal of pain. I would think you would have had to release yourself a long time before or go insane from the agony you must have been in."

"If there is two things I learned in the military it was patience and discipline," Jasper told her as he lay beside with his head on her chest.

"I still don't know how you managed to go for so long or how I did for that matter and neither one of us go insane from the pressure alone," Bella said shaking her head.

"You enjoyed yourself though?" asked Jasper.

"Hell yeah!" Bella exclaimed enthusiastically. "I don't know how you did it and I definitely don't know if you'll be able to repeat it, but I would love to do it again sometime."

"Then we shall," Jasper promised extremely pleased with her answer as Bella had been right in the fact that it had been a lot of hard work not to let himself come much less her, but now that he knew that she loved it he would gladly do it again just to give her pleasure.

"I think that both of us need to go hunt, as we have black eyes from all the energy we expanded," said Jasper as he looked at Bella's almost completely black eyes from where he was laying.

"Now that you mention it my throat is burning," Bella said a hand automatically going to her throat where it was indeed burning something fierce not that she was really surprised considering what they have been doing for the last few hours.

"I'm not surprised in the least," Jasper said with a genuine smile in his mate's direction.

"I just bet you're not," Bella mock scolded him as she kissed his nose.

Jasper just grinned at her knowing that she wasn't really annoyed.

"I love you so much Jasper," Bella said quietly, but very seriously. "There will never be anyone else for me—ever."

Jasper sighed in contentment at the words of his mate as he could feel she meant every single one. It wasn't that he didn't know deep down that she loved him, but he still needed that reassurance every once in awhile, which Bella seemed to understand instinctively. Inside he was still that man that was unsure he was worthy of being loved or loving in return, but Bella showed him each and every day that he was indeed very worthy of being loved despite the sins of his past and she didn't seem to begrudge him the need to hear it occasionally.

"I would give you the moon and the stars and the sun if I could as you are my life and I would gladly give you anything that you asked of me even if it is all but impossible to obtain," Jasper told her quite seriously looking into her eyes.

"I don't need the sun or the moon or the stars, or anything else to be happy, just you," Bella said.

"You are so undemanding, my Bella, which is probably why I enjoy showering you with so many gifts and trinkets."

"Trinkets my ass," Bella muttered. Trinkets meant cheap and by this point in their relationship Jasper had showered her with so many pieces of fine jewelry that she had no idea if she was even going to have a chance to wear all of it. Luckily for her she was immortal so she was sure that she would find some opportunity in order to do that. She had long ago stopped complaining about all the money he was spending on her as it seemed to give him great pleasure and he had plenty of it in any case.

Jasper chuckled at her remark and Bella gave him a heartstopping kiss to show that she was not really annoyed or angry with him.

"I love every single thing you have given me, you have such great taste when it comes to jewelry and other things," Bella told him when she broke the kiss, "but I was just wondering where I would wear it all as you have given me so much of it."

"You are immortal my mate you will have plenty of time to wear all the stuff I have given you."

"I know that," Bella mock scolded him hitting him in the arm playfully. "I was just thinking that it was a good thing I was immortal or I would never have the time to wear all the stuff you have gifted me with."

"You don't have to wait for some kind of special event in order to wear some of the jewelry I have given you," Jasper said. "You can just wear whatever you want every day and soon you will have worn it all multiple times."

"It just seems wrong to wear real gold, silver, platinum and jewels every day," Bella protested. "I never had much growing up you know so it just seems wrong to wear that kind of thing unless it's a special occasion and I certainly never had any of the really nice things you've given me as all the jewelry I had was costume or gold and silver plated."

"Cheap junk," Jasper snorted derisively. "You deserve much more then cheap junk."

"So you have said on several occasions," Bella chuckled having never known Jasper could be such a snob or at least he was when it came to giving her things. When Jasper gave her things he was never cheap, but always thoughtful and he always gave her high-quality stuff and not just knockoffs, or costume jewelry, but from brand names that were well known and also really bloody expensive not that that seemed to matter to her husband.

"I'll try to follow your advice," Bella finally decided after a moment. "I'll never wear it all if I don't as I'm sure vampires don't go to many special events that would require good jewelry."

"No, we don't," Jasper chuckled. "If you do what you say you are going to pretty soon you will break the habit of not wearing any jewelry at all, except the Whitlock crest I gave you or your engagement and wedding rings. Soon you will stop thinking that such nice jewelry is only for special occasions. Back in my day women wore jewelry all the time or those that could afford to did anyway and back then costume jewelry wasn't really an issue as it didn't even exist back when I was born. The jewelry back in my day may not always have been the most expensive or have 2 carat diamonds in them, but it was still genuine gold or silver or even copper and not all of this plated crap that has flooded the market since the 1930s."

"So costume jewelry wasn't invented until 1930?" asked Bella.

"No it wasn't and although I can understand making gold or silver cheaper to afford for people who aren't as well-off as we are it still irritates me since the market has become flooded with it and it is really hard to find the real thing anymore."

Bella chuckled a little of that, but ran a hand through Jasper's hair soothingly. "I appreciate and love everything you have given me," Bella assured him tenderly kissing the top of his head causing Jasper to purr and almost seem to yawn as if she was putting him to sleep even though that was impossible. It was probably just the fact that every muscle in his body was so relaxed that he just looked as if he was half asleep not that he actually was.

"I know you do," Jasper mumbled almost sleepily, "which is why I enjoy giving you so much of it. At least you have stopped protesting when I do give you something new."

"I finally gave up on that," Bella told him with a shrug, not admitting she and Charlotte had had a little talk. "You'll do what you want anyway and no amount of protesting from me is going to change that so why bother?"

"You got that right," Jasper said with his eyes closed.

"I wonder why Melissa hasn't come knocking on our door?" asked Bella beginning to look a little worried. "I hope she's okay."

"I'm sure she's fine," Jasper told his mate still with his eyes closed. "She probably just heard what we were doing through the walls and so decided it wasn't a good idea to bother us right then."

"But we stopped that over an hour ago you would think that she would come and see what the plans for the rest of the evening were."

"I'm sure she'll be here anytime now knocking on our door," Jasper said and as if his words had been signal there came a knock on their door.

"Are you two done finally?" asked Melissa with just a tad bit of impatience in her voice. "And don't you want to let me in or am I going to have me stand outside all night?"

Both Jasper and Bella groaned quietly, but knew that they had been neglecting Melissa for the last day or so and also knew that their time alone together was at an end for the moment anyway.

"We'll be right there," Bella called as she and Jasper rose from the bed and begin to get dressed at vampire speed. It wasn't more than 30 seconds later that they opened the door and allowed Melissa to enter the room.

Melissa practically bounced into the room and sat in one of the chair in the seating area avoiding the bed entirely not that either Jasper or Bella could blame her for that decision as they had just made love in it a short time ago and the sheets had yet to be changed.

"So if you two are done mauling each other what are we going to do for the rest of the night?"

Jasper chuckled at Melissa's words and then said calmly not at all embarrassed, "Well Bella and I are going to go hunt and as for you I guess you can do whatever you want so long as you follow the same rules that you did the other night."

"Right get into as much trouble as you can and let the humans know that vampires are real," Melissa said cheekily causing Jasper to laugh at her and Bella as well.

"That is not what I told you you know it," Jasper told her sternly while still laughing. "You will repeat the rules to me or I will not allow you to go out on your own."

"Come on, Lissa, be serious for a change," Bella told her friend who knew better than the push Jasper too far. Jasper had a good sense of humor it was true, but two things you didn't joke about around him was revealing vampires to human race or getting into trouble deliberately. Usually he didn't take that kind of thing very well even if he knew it was a joke because he took his responsibilities to teach them the proper way to behave very seriously. That Jasper had taken Melissa's joking about those two things so well this time, probably had more to do with the fact that he was so relaxed after such a great lovemaking session then anything else.

"One: take your cell phone and you are to call us every hour and tell us your location just in case you get yourself in trouble as there are other vampires in this city that could do you harm," began Melissa word for word. "Two: you are to be back in your hotel room at least half an hour before dawn and call us and tell us you if we are not in our room yet. Three: If you do drain a human by accident and somebody sees you are to call us immediately even if you have gotten rid of the evidence just so we can make sure. Four: you're not to go off alone with any man or boy no matter how nice they appear to be, as even though they wouldn't be able hurt you, you can very easily rip one apart if you try to have sex with a human."

Jasper nodded when Melissa finally finished repeating his exact words from yesterday.

"Very well then," Jasper said, "you know the rules and I will expect to obey every single one is that understood, young lady?"

"Yes, sir," Melissa said saluting like she was in the military and Jasper chuckled.

"Get out of here, you brat," Jasper told her his tone affectionate and Melissa did just that after coming over and kissing him on the cheek and giving Bella a hug she was gone.

Once Melissa was gone Bella came over and put an arm about Jasper's shoulder giving him a little hug, "You really do treat her like a real daughter you know, which is why she was so impertinent with you," Bella said. "She loves you and she would never act like that with someone she didn't.

"Yeah well I think of her as one," Jasper said who would have blushed if he could have. "So shall we go hunting, my mate?"

"Yes, we shall," Bella agreed immediately. "I'm really really, thirsty actually."

"So am I, which isn't too surprising actually considering what we've been doing," Jasper told Bella with a smirk as the two of them walked out to their rented SUV.

"So are we really going to live in Paris for the next few years?" asked Bella who was going back to Melissa suggestion a few days ago then they moved to Paris for a while."

"We can if you want to," Jasper said. "Your French and Melissa's as well is becoming quite good although hers is better probably because she listens to those language CDs when we are busy."

"I'm going to have to start listening to more of those CDs," Bella muttered stung that Melissa had had more time to listen to them then she had although it was true. Melissa didn't have a mate and was free to do whatever she wanted anytime she wanted especially if she was stuck in the room because the sun was out while her attention tended to be focused on Jasper most of the time, which was as it should be she knew.

"You'll get it eventually," Jasper assured her sending her his confidence in her and his love. "I'll even give you a bit of a language lesson right now if you want?" he suggested after a moment. Bella nodded vigorously and so Jasper began to give her words in French for her to repeat and then he explained what they meant and also made sure her accent was right.

By the time they got to a different section of the city where they could hunt in peace Bella had repeated over a 100 different words with different meanings. That really was one of the great things of been a vampire as it meant that you could memorize words and meanings on the first try and there was no struggling to keep them all straight or getting the accent right like there would be if she had still been human.

"Bon! Excellente!" Jasper said in French complimenting her as he stopped the car and in a decent section of town as he didn't want to lose the wheels in a bad section. "Well shall we run the rest of the way?" Jasper asked his mate as the two of them exited the car and Jasper made sure to lock the doors and activate the security system before he and Bella looked around to make sure there was nobody present in the area or any cameras around and then the two of them started to run the last block into one of the poor slum sections of the city. (Good! Excellent!)

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

"Feel better?" asked Jasper as soon as he and Bella had hunted down their meals three for him and two for her.

"Yes thanks," Bella said as she patted her stomach indicating she was very full. Their eyes had also gone from black to red which was another indication that they had had a good meal as they went to black when they got really hungry.

"So where to now?" asked Bella looking at her watch, the same watch that Jasper had given her just a few days ago actually. Was it really only 10:30? It seemed like it was so much later for some reason. Well in any case the night was still young so they had plenty of time before they had to be back before dawn. "It's only 10:30 we have plenty of time before dawn so what do you really want to do?" asked Bella. "You did what I wanted to last night so tonight I'll do what you want to."

"What if I wanted this to go back to the room and make love again?" Jasper asked with a knowing smile.

"Then I would be totally agreeable to that although it seems like a waste as we can do that when the sun is out," Bella told him giving him a look. "I would like to see some more of Paris just in case we decide that we don't want to live here for any length of time. To tell you the truth the Parisians really are kind of snooty. Not all of them of course, but a lot of them are and I don't know if I could live with their attitude for any length of time. Visiting is one thing, living here is another. I felt the urge to bite quite a few of them after just a few minutes in their presence and held back through sheer force of will."

"Well we can see some of the attractions although most of those are better seen in the daytime like the Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame and several other historic sights and if we decide not to live here I won't object as I agree with you that a lot of the Parisians are really snooty and stick there noses up at anyone who doesn't speak their language."

"I just hope we can convince Melissa that is not a good idea to live in Paris," Bella said looking worried.

"I'm sure she'll probably agree," Jasper assured her. "I saw her glaring at some of the shopkeepers more than once when they were so rude to her and she was very angry at there rudeness as well."

"And we can always come back and visit anytime we want," Bella said after moment. "I wouldn't mind visiting again and taking in some sites we miss this time, but I don't believe I really want to live here. Whenever we decide to live I would like to be able to go to town and see the sites or go shopping without people being so nasty or holding their noses in the air just because you don't speak their language very well yet."

The two of them finally decided to go to the Moulin Rouge just for the shows not for the food and Jasper did speak perfect French even if she didn't.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

"No, I decided I don't want to live here," Melissa answered immediately as soon as the question was put to her as to whether she still wanted to live here or not and seemed rather relieved that they had asked so that she didn't have to give her opinion and possibly have them upset with her. "I never realized that French people were so snooty."

"I could have told you that a lot of them are if you had bothered to ask," Jasper told her with just a hint of humor as well as relief in his eyes. "I have been here before you know with Alice. Several times actually if you want to know the truth as Alice loves to shop in Paris for original French designs. I might have come along with Alice, but that didn't mean I went with her to the shops or at least not very often anyway. I did my own thing while she did that."

"So now that living in Paris is out where do you suggest we settle down?" asked Melissa.

"Well if you insist on living overseas there is always Switzerland, or even Russia although I wouldn't recommend Russia as there is a lot of turmoil over there right now."

"Plenty of food for us though," Melissa suggested with a smile.

"True enough," Jasper agreed also with a smile and a wink. "I could live with Russia if that is what two of your want, but I still would rather settle someplace peaceful without having to watch our backs all the time."

"But the Russian mob wouldn't be able to hurt us," Bella protested.

"True, but if somebody saw us supposedly get shot and end up walking away we'd have to get rid of them whether they were the ones that shot us or some innocent bystander," said Jasper.

"We would have to learn Russian," Bella murmured. "I've heard it is a difficult language to master."

"It's really not," Jasper assured them with a wink. "Not for vampires like us anyway since we have perfect memories. If you were human it would be a different story altogether. The Russian language isn't based on Latin which will make it more difficult to master, but it can be done. It's a lot like Arabic actually as it is a different alphabet altogether. Russia is also a large country with over 150 million people, the two largest cities being Moscow and St. Petersburg and we could move to either one and no one would be able to find us if we didn't want to be found. There's also a ton of crime over there mostly against ethnic groups or tourists so we could have feasts every night if we really wanted to and they're would still be plenty to eat. As long as we got rid of the evidence afterwards no one would ever know how those criminals disappeared."

"What's the weather like?" asked Bella.

"They are really only two seasons in Russia summer and winter with spring and autumn making just very brief appearances. The winters have quite heavy snow and are known to be very cold, they are anywhere from -7°C, which is about 19 or 20°F or -2°C, which is about 28 or 29°F. As for summer the temperatures run about 22°C which translates into about 72°F or 13°C, which translates into about 56°F.

"Oh piffle I'm not going to worry about a little snow and the summers alone sound fantastic just perfect swimsuit weather," Melissa said and Bella nodded agreement.

"It isn't like we can get sick," Bella added. "Or that the cold weather even really effects us since we are vampires."

"You know I've never been to Russia," Jasper commented with a certain gleam is his eyes. "I speak the language true and read and write it as well, but I learned from another vampire who was originally Russian several decades ago. There's supposed to be a lot of history in Russia that we can spend the next 50 years really exploring if we want too."

"You've never been to Russia at all?" asked Bella in surprise. "I thought you had been about everywhere."

"Not really," Jasper reminded her. "You have to remember that's for a long time I was practically Maria's slave and then the rest of the time I was with the Cullens. Oh, I wandered for a few years before I met Alice, but I never went there as I mostly stayed in the States. After I joined the Cullens and there was no way that Carlisle was going to move his family somewhere that was so violent as he was a peacemaker to the core and didn't believe in taking human lives not even criminals who harmed others. Also when they did have to move the Cullens preferred to stay in the States if at all possible and not go overseas except for vacations every now and then, although Carlisle never would have taken his family to Russia even on a vacation for fear that one of them would drain a human just because of all the criminals over there. Russia is well known for its violence and it's crime, there are pickpockets, murderers, rapist, extortionist, robberies and about everything you would find in the States except at a much higher percentage then you would find here except loosely controlled by the Russian mob. Also the percentage of hate crimes is much higher than as the Russians tend not to like minorities very much."

Bella's eyes narrowed at that as she hated those kind of crimes more than any other.

"Is that so," she practically purred as she thought about sinking her teeth into someone who hated another human being just because of their race, accent, color or religion.

"Uh-oh, you've got her hooked now," Melissa told Jasper as she watched her best friend as she had been well aware of Bella's hatred of those particular kinds of crimes. "She loathes those hate crimes and those who pull them off more than any other kinds of crime put together," Melissa said.

"Why?" ask Jasper sending Bella his curiosity as this was one thing he had not known about his mate.

"Well it goes back to when I was a teenager in junior high school," Bella begin to explain as she remembered. "There was his boy who originally came from Sweden I believe and his accent was quite thick. He was socially awkward as a lot of teenagers are and all the bullies picked on him because of his accent because of the he comported himself, because of the way he dressed, because he wore glasses as his eyesight was so bad that he needed very thick lenses just to be able to see. They picked on him for every little thing and he made absolutely no friends while he was there as the other students were afraid to be his friend in case the bullies turned their attention on them. I tried to get the bullies to leave him alone, but of course bullies being bullies are very stupid and stubborn and refused. It was several months later when I came to school hoping to see him and maybe get to be his friend as I had made a decision that I was going to try no matter the amount of peer pressure that told me not to.

"I looked for him in classes throughout the day and I wondered if he was out sick as I didn't see him and it wasn't until later that I found out that because of all the picking and the bullying and bumping into him on purpose just to hurt him by pushing him into lockers or doors he cut his wrists with a kitchen knife and killed himself. He had also been getting a lot of hate mail from those same bullies I discovered just by staying quiet and listening to the teachers and other adults talk about it. The bullies basically told him to go home and that they did not want his kind here and really he was no different from any other boy except that he had an accent. His name was Simeon by the way and he was only 14. 14 Jasper he was just 14 and the bullies picked on him and cruelly made fun of him until he just felt as if he couldn't take anymore and thought that killing himself was the only way to get away from his tormentors. Ever since then I have hated people who hate others just because they can and for no other reason other then that.

"I have often thought over the years and if I had just tried sooner to be his friend even if I was the only friend he had he might not have killed himself. I was something of a social outcast myself, although not as much as he was, simply because I was more mature then most of my peers because I was the one that made sure that me and my mother didn't lose the house or had food on the table. I remember teaching myself to cook when I was quite young because anything Renée did was almost always inedible."

Jasper didn't say anything he didn't really have to as he took Bella into his arms and comforted her as she dry sobbed on his shoulder. Remembering about what had happened to Simon had been painful for her, but he had a feeling that she had never really had a chance to grieve before because going to her mother had not been a option and all the teachers and adults at the school had allowed it to happen in the first place.

"Shhh," Jasper soothed. "If you want to move to Russia for a few years that's fine with me." "We'll go anywhere you want to go for it isn't as if we have to live in Russia forever you know. We have a eternity to do whatever the hell we want. We could live in every single place in the world for a while if you really wanted to."

Bella laughed at that as it was hard to imagine and Jasper was happy to see that she had cheered up.

"So is our next destination Moscow Russia?" asked Melissa after a moment breaking the somewhat tense silence.

"Sure, why not," Bella said with a certain gleam in her ruby red eyes as she thought about chomping on are a few of those people who hated other people just for being from a different nationality.

"We'll need resident visas," Jasper mused calmly. "All three of us already have passports."

"I still don't know how you got those," Bella told him. "We are kind of off the charts being vampires and all."

"It involves hacking into the appropriate system," Jasper explained, "and having the appropriate equipment for printing it all out and making it look official. I have plenty of experience with that believe me. I can forge passports IDs just about anything you need and it will pass official inspection."

"You actually broke the law, Jasper!" Bella asked in fake amazement. "I never knew you had it in you."

Jasper laughed loud and long at Bella's words and he continued to chuckle for quite some time afterwards.

"It's nice to know I struck your funny bone," Bella pouted pretending to be upset with him, which only caused Jasper to go into another round of chuckles.

By the time Jasper finally quit laughing it was at least half an hour later. If he had been human his sides would've been aching from laughing so hard.

"As hard as it is to believe I am not totally innocent and I was aware that you probably had had to forge our IDs and other identification as I couldn't imagine how you had done it otherwise. It's not like we can walk up to DMV just to get a proper driver's license."

"Could you teach us how to do that?" asked Melissa who had been mostly silent up until now. "Sure, I can," Jasper promised. "Sometime in the next year or two we can do that when we have more free time then we do now."

"So not to change the subject but what do you want to do tomorrow? It is supposed to be cloudy out so we should be able to get out in the daytime," Melissa said.

"We can continue seeing some of the sites that we have yes to see yet because it's been sunny out the last few days," Jasper suggested.

"So when do we plan to leave Paris?" asked Bella.

"We can stay as long as you want or we can leave tomorrow, it doesn't matter to me," Jasper said.

"You're very accommodating," Melissa teased him.

Jasper shrugged. "Not really, it's not like we don't have all the time in the world to do whatever we want, so why rush it? We are immortal after all and we have centuries to do whatever the hell we want to do so why not take our time and enjoy smelling the roses so to speak?"

"A good point," Melissa admitted with a smile.

"I think another week or so is plenty," Bella commented after thinking about it. "As you have said before we can always come back some time."

Melissa nodded agreement.

"There is one thing though," Bella said.

"What's that?" asked Jasper already knowing where this was going as they had discussed when to bring up the subject about a honeymoon to Melissa.

"Now that I have gotten control of my bloodlust I would like for you and me to go on a belated honeymoon," Bella said. "We never did get one, thanks to us being new vampires at the time."

"I think it would be a splendid idea," Jasper answered immediately. "I've been wanting to take you on a honeymoon ever since I gave your official mating mark actually, but as you just said you were a newborn at the time."

"And what are you going to do with me?" asked Melissa with a pout knowing that they wouldn't want her traveling with them if they were going to take a belated honeymoon.

"I thought maybe you could go up and visit Peter and Charlotte in Texas," Bella told her friend. "I'm sure Charlotte would love your company as being stuck with Peter all the time is bound to be rather tedious."

Jasper burst into laughter and even Melissa chuckled as picking on Peter was all three of theirs favorite pastimes whether he was present to defend himself or not.

"I wouldn't mind visiting Charlotte and Peter for a couple of weeks," Melissa admitted. "All three of us really bonded at the ranch house in Montana."

"I know it," Bella said, "which is why I suggested it in the first place."

"Maybe you better make sure that this arrangement is okay with them before you start making any kind of concrete plans," Melissa suggested a little anxiously.

"They won't mind," Jasper assured his daughter. "They consider you part of the Whitlock family and that means that they won't mind having you around for weeks or months at a time."

"Okay," Melissa said giving in with barely any argument it all. "So where do you plan on going for your honeymoon?"

"We're not sure yet," Bella said. "There are a lot of places both of us would like to go, but we just haven't reached a decision."

"So what are your options?" asked Melissa.

"Well I told Jasper that I for one would like to go to Egypt and maybe explore the great pyramids from the inside like nobody else has ever done before, but if we did that we have to be on a night schedule as Egypt is very sunny and hardly ever cloudy or rainy, except in the winter and who can enjoy themselves if they are soaked to the skin with their clothes sticking to their bodies? And yes I know we can't get sick," Bella added as she saw that Melissa was about to point out that the couldn't become ill just from getting soaked to the skin.

"And I told Bella that we could do that sometime, but that I would also like to take her to Amsterdam in Holland or to Belgium as that way we could get out in the daytime and not just at night," Jasper said after Melissa closed her mouth with a snap at Bella's words.

Why not do all three?" asked Melissa. "I would be totally happy to spend as much time as you want to take on your honeymoon with Peter and Charlotte. I know we might pick on Peter, but I do love him like a brother and Charlotte like a sister. If you wanted to take a month or even two that's fine with me as you both deserve it, so much."

"Well we never thought about taking that long," Bella said after a moment of thought. This was very true as they had thought about taking a couple of weeks after they had gone to Phoenix and dealt with her mother and her former of boyfriend, but not a month, much less two.

"You two deserve it if you want to take a nice long vacation just the two of you," Melissa said. "I know being a vampire is hard and you need a chance to relax, both of you, but especially you, Bella. You two need a chance to work on your relationship and although I know you have been getting to know each other it's also harder with another vampire in the house. Even under the most normal and relaxing circumstances a new relationship—even if at this point it is over two years old—is stressful enough, but with all the various pressures all three of us have been under I'm surprised that you haven't had a breakdown Bella or maybe vampires can't actually have breakdowns I don't know."

"Vampires can certainly feel overwhelmed although I don't know if they can actually have mental breakdowns as I've never seen or even heard of one that did," Jasper told Melissa sending her his gratitude. "And it doesn't help that a vampire's emotions are stronger than a humans, at least 20 percent stronger actually."

"Hm, a two month vacation with you sounds like a dream come true," Bella said as she came and sat on Jasper's lap. "We could go five or six different places you know and not just the three that were original suggestions, Spain for instance, or Hawaii, or Cancún."

"You sure you don't mind if we go on a honeymoon for two months?" asked Jasper.

"No I don't mind," Melissa assured them with a wink.

"I hope you're not planning on getting into trouble while we're gone because we are just a phone call away you know," Jasper warned his daughter even though there was nothing in her emotions to indicate that that was what she intended. Of course she did know that he was an empath and might be blocking her emotions or not thinking about it until after he was gone, but on the other hand it was a lot harder to change your emotions and then it was to lie by mouth and Jasper didn't truly believe that Melissa was that skilled at prevarication.

"Nope," Melissa said with a smile in Jasper's direction not at all offended, "all I plan to do is spend time with Charlotte and Peter, perhaps do a little shopping, and just have a chance to truly relax without wondering what the next day's going to bring. I've had a lot of fun over the last couple of years, despite learning how to be a vampire and all the troubles that comes with it, but this will be my chance to be by myself without worrying about anybody else if I don't want to and also spending time with my brother and sister all by my lonesome with nobody else around."

"Thanks, Lissa," Bella told a friend giving her a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "You're the best."

"I am," Melissa said wrinkling her nose at Bella, "and don't you forget it either."

"I'm not likely to considering you keep reminding me of it, at least once a week," Bella told her friend with a grin and a chuckle.

"So when do you plan to take this two month vacation?" Melissa asked.

"I thought after we were done in Paris would be a good time," Jasper said. "We'll fly you to Texas first and drop you off with Peter and Charlotte and then we'll be on our way into the wild blue yonder."

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

A week later Jasper and Bella dropped Melissa off with Peter and Charlotte who had agreed to let her stay with them for as long as she wanted and in fact were more than happy to have her live with them permanently if she really wanted to.

"You will always have a second home," Peter told all three of the other Whitlocks. "If you wanted to live with us permanently we would be more than happy to have all three of you. As much as we enjoy living on own we don't see any of you nearly often enough."

"You will see us more often from now on, Peter," Jasper promised his brother.

"Have a good time on your vacation," said Charlotte as she gave Jasper a wink as if to say not to do anything that she wouldn't and then added a hug and kiss on the cheek for both of them.

"Call us if you need us," Bella told them. "We'll make sure to call you every few days just to check in."

"Don't worry about us, we'll be fine," Peter also giving Jasper a manly hug and then Bella hug and a kiss.

Jasper and Bella took that as their cue to leave and they waved goodbye as they entered their plane in order to take off all their goodbyes having been said.

"So next stop, Phoenix Arizona?" asked Bella as soon as they were in the air and outside of vampire hearing.

"Yes to Phoenix Arizona to deal with your mother and Rex," Jasper said the name with distaste. "Who in the bloody, blue blazing hell names their kid Rex? It sounds like the name for a dog."

"It's probably just a nickname," Bella told him as she snickered at Jasper's words as she agreed with him wholeheartedly. "So how do we go about finding Rex as I have no idea were he lived back then and he might have moved in the dozen years since he dated my mother?" asked Bella after a few minutes of uncomfortable silence.

"I've already located him," Jasper told her with a proud smirk. "I just looked up Rex and then cross-referenced it with Phoenix Arizona and only a couple of names popped up, but only one fits your description."

"Jasper you are a genius and a miracle worker and I love you," Bella told him quite sincerely.

"I'm not really a genius or a miracle worker as it is just years of experience on handling situations to back me that's all."

"I stand by what I said," Bella told him. "Not everybody with the right experience could still find somebody in a city the size of Phoenix with only a first name and a very vague description and yet you did."

"Well you did say that he looked like a biker and that little piece of information helped quite a bit as I just hacked into the vehicle registration at the DMV and located him that way."

"We'll have to make absolutely sure that is the right man before we do anything," Bella told Jasper.

"I'm almost positive it is the right man, but you're right we don't want to drain somebody who has never done any harm."

The two of them sat in companionable silence for the rest of the flight except when Jasper let Bella fly the plane for a couple of hours before they got to Phoenix saying she had learned enough to be able to pilot her. Bella reveled in the experience.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

"So where we staying for the couple of days we'll be in my old hometown?" asked Bella as she got into the car that Jasper had rented which was nothing fancy this time as it was just a dark blue four-wheel drive ford truck.

"A very modest three-star hotel called the Hyatt Regency," Jasper said with a shrug.

"You mean modest compared to the ultraexpensive places we've been staying in?" asked Bella smirking at her husband.

"Yes modest compared to that," Jasper replied easily. "I could have very easily booked us into a five star hotel, but in this case we're trying to keep a low profile and booking ourselves into such an expensive hotel is not the way to do it. We want to be in and out of here in just a couple of days with no one the wiser that we were here for more than a bit of business."

"You're good at this covert operations stuff," Bella complimented her mate.

"Experience," Jasper said. "Years and decades of experience as I was a soldier after all."

"And soldiers are a lot like Boy Scouts always prepared," Bella suggested with a smirk as she knew that Jasper would probably take being compared to a Boy Scout as an insult.

"A Boy Scout," Jasper said scathingly highly offended even though he knew very well that Bella was only saying that in order to get this particular reaction. "Boy Scouts don't know anything compared to what soldiers know."

"I didn't mean to be insulting," Bella assured him with an inner smirk having gotten exactly the reaction she was expecting. "I was just saying that you two have the same motto is all."

Jasper didn't reply and so Bella asked, "So which one we going to do first my mother or Rex?"

"It doesn't really matter as either one is fine with me and if you want to drain your own mother you're welcome to and I'll take Rex or we can do it the other way around."

"As much as I despise my mother I'll let you have her," Bella decided. "I'll take Rex with pleasure I assure you. In fact feel free to torture my mother little. If you want use your talent to cause her as much pain as she caused me over the years feel free to do so, make her scream, make her cry, cut into her soft human skin, break her bones and draw her blood, but don't drain her until the end."

Jasper lit up at his wife's words and leaned over and gave her a quick kiss before looking back at the road. "I'll be more than happy to do that, I'll be ecstatic," Jasper told her with an absolutely evil smirk that made Bella shiver with desire. "We'll have to catch her and then take her somewhere where her screams are not likely to be heard though if we're to do all that and not just drain her dry and then set her house on fire like we were originally planning. The Major likes that idea enormously as he was enraged when he found out that your own mother had hurt you so much. In fact at the moment he is begging me to let him torture your mother for a month or so before he finally puts her out of her misery."

"Now I know why I'm so fond of the Major," Bella said with a smile. "He is a violent part of the man I love that is known as Jasper Whitlock and only comes out when something hurts me or something enrages him. He is like my knight in shining armor that is determined to defend my honor."

Jasper thought about that a moment, then agreed. "Yeah, you're right, he is like that at least for you anyway and only for you."

"Renée frequently goes to Scottsdale, which is a very dangerous area as I'm sure you're aware," Bella said after a moment. "I'm sure we can find a place there to take her to torture her for a day or so before we finally kill her and where she won't be heard if she screams."

"That is a very good idea," Jasper complimented her sending her his pride. "There're also abandoned mines in that area that aren't too far from there and that's a good place to take her so we can torture her for a week or so if we really feel like it."

"As much as I love that idea let's not draw this out too long as I for one am ready to start my honeymoon with you. Two whole months just you and me and no one to bother us," said Bella with anticipation not only in her red eyes, but in her emotions as well. "Nothing to feel guilty about if we leave Melissa by herself a little too long just because we are totally lost in each other. We both need this vacation, a chance to relax, badly."

Jasper's lips curved into a smile at that thought as he wholeheartedly agreed with his wife's words.

"Ok, we'll just torture her a little then," Jasper said. "I'm looking forward to getting started on our vacation too. How often does your mother go to Scottsdale?"

"If she hasn't changed pattern about once a week or so," Bella replied. "In fact if I remember right tomorrow is the day she usually goes. She used to go down there as regular as clockwork."

"Well let us hope then that she has not changed her pattern," Jasper replied as calmly as possible although there was a certain maniac gleam in his eyes as he had been looking forward to dealing with his mate's mother for sometime and that his Bella had given him the honor of ending her miserable existence made him more happy then he could possibly express.

Jasper would have understood if Bella had wanted to be the one to drain her mother dry as after all she had put up with the lot throughout her childhood, but instead of giving in to her own desires she had decided to give him the honor and he was going to have to find some way to repay her for that enormous favor because it meant that she loved him more then the idea of getting revenge on someone who had hurt her so much all throughout her childhood and it didn't matter one bit that Renée Swan had probably never meant to hurt her only child only that she had by being careless instead of responsible.

"Why don't we take care of Rex first?" Bella suggested with a smirk. "He shouldn't take very long as I'm only going to drain him dry, not torture him and then we can concentrate on my mother."

"Alright," Jasper agreed with a smirk of his own for his mate's suggestion was very logical. Deal with the one that wasn't going to take very long and then deal with the one that was going to take much longer. "Let's get started. Rex if he's the right one anyway hangs out at this bikers bar that isn't too far from where we are now actually."

"Does he hang out there at night?" asked Bella looking at her watch. "It is after seven you know. You got us here just after the sun had set, which is good as it doesn't really rain or get cloudy in Phoenix, or at least not much, so it is better if we operate at night."

"He hangs out there a lot according to what I could find out," Jasper said. "All we can do is see and if he isn't there we'll track him down at his apartment although that will be a little bit harder as we don't want anybody to see us."

"It will be better if we can get him outside the bar, and that way if he disappears there won't be too many questions as the biker bar is located in a very rough area and people get murdered or robbed in rough areas like that all the time."

"While if he disappears out of his apartment building there will be more questions," Jasper added nodding his head in agreement.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

They arrived at the bar and parked the truck out of sight and then Jasper went in pretending that he was just checking the bar out and bought a drink which he threw down his throat in one gulp. Vampires could actually drink as alcohol was just absorbed into their venom and while Jasper didn't drink much he did very occasionally, usually to keep up appearances, since he might be able to drink alcohol, but it still tasted like shit.

10 minutes later Jasper exited the bar and came to where Bella was waiting for him standing in the alley in the shadows.

"Did you find him?" asked Bella.

"Yes, he's there or at least it looks like him from his picture and your description. He looks older of course as it has been 12 or 13 years, but it is definitely the same man."

"Good, let us hope that it doesn't take him too long to come out then," Bella practically growled.

"I could influence him if I had to and make him think that he's had enough to drink and that he's tired, but let us see if he comes out first. Let's give it an hour," Jasper said.

"Alright," Bella agreed. "I am eager to get back at him. He might never have actually raped me but that's only because I was too smart for him, which isn't saying much I admit considering he doesn't have much of a brain to begin with."

Jasper snickered in agreement at that thinking his Bella sure did have a way with words and kissed her on the cheek.

"Did I mention that he has a rap sheet about a mile long?" asked Jasper.

"No," Bella replied, "but I am not the least surprised that he does, considering what I remember of him."

"I managed to break into the police computers and found it. It has everything from bullying from way back when he was just 10, to petty thievery, to aggravated assault, and everything in only reason that the bullying when he was 10 was listed was because he actually put another 10-year-old boy in the hospital in coma."

"Is there any rape listed?" asked Bella, curiously.

"Yes," Jasper said. "One of his favorite sports appears to have rape as there are at least 15 instances of some girl being raped, although not any of them were as young as you were. The youngest was about 13 and there are no guarantees that he hasn't done it more then 15 times just that he was never reported."

"Then why isn't he in prison?" asked Bella with a growl. "Rape is a very serious charge and yet he's done it a lot and he still free to do it again."

"He has been to prison, a few times actually," Jasper replied. "About the average time for somebody who rapes another person is about 117 months, but they always get out early so you can cut that down to about 65 months, which is just a month less of five and a half years. There was a few times the charges were dismissed for lack of evidence, because the witnesses were to terrified to testify or because they wound up dead. The four times he was convicted he was caught red-handed so to speak."

"So I was right about him being a bad person, way back when I was jest 10 or 11 years old," Bella said. "How could my mother consort with that sort of perverted bastard?" Bella's voice was dripping disdain, anger and a little hurt, which Jasper understood for even though Bella had disowned her mother that didn't mean that somewhere deep inside there wasn't a little girl crying out for a mother's attention and love, which she had never received from the woman who had birthed her. It was likely a gulf that would never be completely filled although he would try his best so that Bella at least didn't think about that emptiness inside her that could never be filled except with a mother's love.

"I hate to say this about anyone that is related to the woman I love, but your mother does not seem the best judge of character," Jasper said as politely as possible.

"You meant to say that my mother has no judgment whatsoever, or she never would have had anything to do with Rex or the other boyfriends she had at the house over the years as very few of them were respectable or if she did she wouldn't have brought them home."

"Well, yes," Jasper admitted with a sheepish shrug and a grin. "I was just trying to be polite about it."

"There is no need to be polite where my mother is concerned, feel free to cuss as much as you want and call her any number of names I won't take offense I promise."

"Well, in that case," Jasper said then went into a string of cuss words that had Bella trying not to laugh too loud as she didn't want to be heard.

"I'm glad I amused you," Jasper said dryly with just a hint of a smile on his lips sending her his amusement as he gave Bella kiss on the nose.

Bella was about to reply, but suddenly Jasper went tense. "He's coming out," Jasper said a moment later as his red eyes scanned the street.

"Should we grab him here?" asked Bella as she to saw the man that had nearly raped her all those years ago. He was older, just as Jasper had said, although that was to be expected, but it was definitely the same man.

"It's the same man all right," Bella growled venom practically dripping off her teeth she was so enraged.

"Let's follow him for a bit," Jasper decided. "Let's see if we can get him in a worst area of town then this one as this area is a little too busy for my liking."

"Alright," Bella agreed and the two vampires proceeded to follow Rex Coltraine. "Why is he walking instead of riding?" asked Bella in curiosity.

"One of the reasons I wanted to follow him is that I knew his bike was in the shop, which is another of those little nuggets of information I discovered," Jasper replied.

"Anybody ever tell you that you are amazing?" asked Bella in admiration.

"No, but thank you for the compliment," Jasper said as he felt his mate's admiration of his skills, which made him glow a little and feel pride in himself, which didn't happen to often.

"Rex, must really like this bar in order to walk all this way instead of just taking a cab or something."

"I don't think he can afford a cab," Jasper said. "He doesn't really make that much money in his job as a mechanic, and between his apartment and his drinking and getting his bike fixed he's strapped for cash."

"Well that's good for us," Bella commented as she starting scanning the area looking for a good place in order to take Rex and end his life, without anybody seeing.

Finally Bella spotted what she thought was the perfect place in order to take Rex. "What about there?" asked Bella pointing to a very dark alley that was filled with trash and nobody else was around either as this was a very poor section of town.

"It's as good a place as any and probably the best spot we are going to get on such short notice," Jasper agreed as the two of them from the opposite side of the street immediately raced to it using vampire speed making sure to avoid street lights not that there were many in this section of town that weren't broken. It didn't take them more then a few seconds to get to their chosen ambush spot and Rex was still more then a block away so there was no way that he could have seen them move so fast and even if he had he was about to be very dead, so it didn't really matter in the slightest. As for the rest there was also no chance of anybody else having seen anything, but a blur and the street was absolutely deserted at 9 o'clock at night in any case.

"Psst, over here, handsome," Bella called softly when Rex came nearer the alley. Rex looked in her direction he had heard the words but didn't seem to recognize Bella at all and saw only a beautiful woman standing in the shadows calling to him and gesturing for him to come into the alley.

"What can I do for you miss...?" Rex asked as his eyes roamed greedily over her lithe, muscled body. Bella led Rex deeper into the alley where Jasper was waiting and Rex followed her like a puppy dog not knowing that he was about to be very dead in just a few seconds.

"What can you do?" Bella hissed when she had him as deep into the alley as she needed so that no human would see her kill him and then struck with all the precision and speed of a cobra. "What you can do is die!"

Not letting him say another word Bella violently twisted Rex's head until the muscles gaze a squelching noise and popped and his dead blue eyes stared up at her and then started to drink his still warm blood savoring every sip even though she could also taste the alcohol in his system.

"And that is the end of that!" Bella said a couple of minutes later as she dropped Rex's body onto the ground of the alley once all the blood was gone.

Once Jasper saw that Bella was done he came up to her and she turned and gave him a heartstopping kiss.

"Well that is one piece of my past dealt with," Bella said radiating satisfaction gesturing to Rex's body, which was laying at all angles as Bella hadn't bothered to straighten his limbs just dropped him where he lay at one end of the alley. "Now all that's left is Renée."

"Let's get rid of any evidence, shall we?" said Jasper as he picked up Rex's body.

"Why not leave him here for the police to find?" asked Bella.

"Because you broke his neck," Jasper told her. "It takes a lot of force to do that and most humans couldn't do it although there are some of course that could, mainly people who know wrestling as that was almost a classic wrestling move except that they don't usually end up in death only unconsciousness. It wouldn't really take much to kill someone once you have your arm around their neck, but why take chances? We don't want to leave any evidence lying around no matter how tempting that would be."

"Alright, fine," Bella finally agreed as she watched Jasper dump the body in a dumpster that was in the alley and calmly set it on fire using a lighter he always carried with him and closing the lid.

"By the time the body is discovered it will not be obvious that his neck was broken as he will be nothing but charred skin and bones," Jasper said as he put an arm around Bella's shoulder and the two of them headed out of the area at a fast walk.

"So now we deal with my mother?" asked Bella an eager gleam in her eyes bouncing on her toes as she walked. That she didn't trip or fall once while doing both at the same time just proved that vampires were very coordinated and athletic as very few humans would be able to walk and bounce on their toes at the same time and not have an accident.

"Yes," Jasper said. "We will go to her house and watch it for what remains of the night before going back to the hotel."

Why don't we just go in and finish her so that we can get started on our vacation?" Bella suggested.

"Because I want to torture her a little for she put you through as you were growing up," Jasper told his mate with a growl. "I might not be able to torture her as long as me or the Major might want, but I will torture her at least a little and make her wish she was dead before we actually end her miserable existence."

"Did I mention we have a very deep basement? We should be able to take her down there and her screams will not be heard. The walls are very thick as I think it was dug in order to protect whatever family that lived there from hurricanes and tornadoes. I think whoever had the house built was absolutely insane as Arizona has always had very few hurricanes and tornadoes, flash floods yes but not hurricanes or tornadoes. And for flash floods you need high ground not a room buried deep in the earth.

"Or perhaps that basement was used for some other purpose," Jasper suggested his eyes lighting up at the suggestion, "and not just a storm cellar."

"It's possible," Bella admitted with a shrug, "as we haven't always owned the house."

"Why did you not mention the basement before?" asked Jasper curiously.

"To tell you the truth I had forgotten all about it until just a few minutes ago," said Bella. "Renée and I never went down there except once just to see what it was like. It's got to be 10 feet deep at least you could probably have a dozen torture victims down there if you really wanted to and never be discovered."

"This is good," Jasper said calmly while inside he was jumping with glee. It was as if somebody up in heaven wanted them to torture Renée for what she had put Bella through it was either that or it was an incredibly lucky coincidence. It didn't really matter which one either as far as he was concerned.

"It is, very good," Bella agreed as they reached their rented truck. "I wish I had thought about that basement sooner, but since I never thought about it as a human I suppose it just never occurred to me, except that I was glad Renée never thought to lock me down there or I probably would've been afraid of the dark and enclosed spaces along with everything else. That I actually remember its existence is something of a minor miracle since I know most vampires lose a lot, if not all of their memories, when they are turned."

Jasper growled at that and thought that the only reason Renée Swan had never thought about it was only because Bella had done her best to be as helpful and as unobtrusive as possible or otherwise she probably would have.

"So shall we go drag Renée out of bed?" asked Bella with an unholy glee in her eyes and voice.

"Let us get a look at this basement first and make sure it is exactly what we need. We can break into the house while she is sleeping and check it out as vampires can move silently. She'll never know we are there until we are ready for her to," Jasper replied.

"If I can trust my memories then that basement should be exactly what we need for what we plan to do. I believe there are some shelves filled with various junk against a couple of the walls and a string of old bulbs strung along the ceiling that are hooked into the power supply of the house although the lights are likely to be dim even if they work at all."

"Dim lights don't really matter to one of our kind," Jasper said. "As I believe you know we see very well even if it's almost as black as pitch. We do need at least a little light to see by, but not much."

"So in other words we'll be able to see down there with no trouble while Renée will not or at least not very well as human eyesight needs a lot more light then we do," Bella said.

"Exactly," Jasper said with a grin. "Now I have a question for you."

"What's your question?" asked Bella a little curiously.

"I want to know whether or not you want her to know the reason we are torturing her or if you want her to believe that we're just doing it just because we can and not for any specific purpose."

"Oh I want her to know," Bella said immediately, with absolutely no hesitation. "I want her to know that my childhood was not much of one at all because I had to take care of her instead of the other way around. I want her to realize that if only she had been responsible and raised me like she should have, with love, instead of just leaving everything to me like paying the bills,  
>cooking and all the other things I did for her over the years because she was to bone lazy to do them then this never would've happened. I want her to know that I had absolutely no friends at all or the time to make any because I always had to come home right after school in order to make sure that the bills were paid and that we had decent food. I want her to know that I was bullied all through my school years even though I did learn how to remain mostly unnoticed so I wasn't as picked on as some of the other children who just didn't fit in. I want her to know that I never had a shoulder to cry on when I needed one or anyone to give me a hug when I was having trouble at school not with my schoolwork, but with the other children who made fun if me simply because I did well in class and because I refused to lower myself to their level."<p>

"If that is what you want then she will know all that and more before we kill her," Jasper promised Bella as he gave a kiss on the top of her head.

The two of them sat in silence as Jasper drove the truck to Bella's old neighborhood. Once they got there Jasper stopped a couple of blocks away just so the truck would not be associated with the house Bella had used to live in with her mother before she had gone to college.

The two walked the last couple of blocks to Bella's old home and Bella looked around the neighborhood that was so familiar to her and yet so alien at the same time.

"There's been a few changes since I was here," Bella observed looking all around taking in the changes as well as what was still the same. "That house right there," Bella said pointing at a house across the street, "used to be empty, but is now occupied."

The house in question was just like all the other houses in the neighborhood except that the shutters were painted blue instead of white and the house itself was a very pretty brown that was almost golden, while the other houses were painted yellow.

"I'm surprised you remember what it was like before you left as it was a long time ago and human memories do tend to fade during their first year of existence."

"I don't remember every single little detail of my life," Bella said quietly with a shrug, "but I do remember a great deal of it, perhaps because I went through the change willingly, although there's really no way of knowing. And besides if I can remember about the basement, considering I never thought about it as a human, then it shouldn't really be all that surprising that I remember what the neighborhood used to look like. Here we are are," Bella said after a few minutes stopping in front of a house that was like all the others on the block.

"Renée should already be in bed as she tended to go to bed fairly early," Bella explained. "We might want to check and make sure she still lives here for she could've been thrown out of the house by now for not paying the bills."

"Oh she still live here," Jasper said with a smirk. "I checked up on that to once you had given me the address. She has managed to keep the house, but has had the power shut off on more than one occasion by not paying the bill and it being several months overdue. She's also has almost lost her car several times but managed to keep it so far."

"Same old Renée," Bella said shaking head in disgust. "Still irresponsible, lazy, and reckless."

"Well she won't be the same old Renée for much longer," Jasper told Bella with a smirk his eyes almost glowing with repressed fury, "as she'll be dead."

"Very true," Bella giggled as she thought about that giving Jasper a kiss on the cheek before she quietly led the way to the back door breaking the lock with no trouble and entering the kitchen for the first time in 12 or 13 years.

"It doesn't look like much has changed," Bella observed as she looked around the kitchen that she had spent so much of her time in growing up, "Except that it was cleaner when I lived here as I always made sure to keep it clean—and sanitary," Bella added wrinkling her nose at the smell and running one of her fingers over one of the countertops and it coming away as filthy as could be. "How can anyone live in this pigsty and not get so sick every time they prepare a meal or eat in here? There has got to be a million germs just waiting to strike. They're dishes piled in the sink and it looks like they have been there for a week or more and there's dust, dirt and grime everywhere. I suppose it doesn't really matter as I know we can't get sick, it's just that I'm surprised that Renée hasn't kicked the bucket from some kind of deadly disease considering the state of her kitchen."

"Strong constitution?" Jasper suggested.

"If she does have a strong constitution then we can torture her for days and she won't die until we're ready," Bella suggested knowing exactly what Jasper was thinking. "I suppose it's a good thing that it's summer and Renée isn't expected to be teaching on Monday, which is two days from now. If you really wanted to you could torture her for a week or so and I wouldn't object although I am anxious to get started on that vacation."

"You are the best," Jasper told her keeping his voice down so that they didn't wake Renée.

"You do realize of course that if we do that we'll have to feed at least once between now and the time we leave if not twice and therefore have to leave Renée alone for the amount of time it will take to do that."

"That's no problem," Jasper told her. "We'll just lock the cellar door or put a chair underneath the doorknob and if it can't be locked tie her up just to make sure she can't escape while we're gone."

Bella nodded and then showed Jasper where the basement was. The basement was gotten into by a set of stone steps and the door was right in one of the living room walls, which was an unusual design but then Bella had never noticed as a child as she had been concerned with just surviving.

Bella opened the door to the basement slowly after making sure to saturate the hinges with the oil that had been brought along originally for doing the hinges on the back door, so they didn't squeak, but served well for the purpose of doing the basement door as well because they didn't want the door to creak and alert anyone in the house that they had intruders although that was unlikely as Renée tended to be a heavy sleeper and lived alone unless she had one of her sleazy boyfriends over.

Bella pulled the door open inch by inch listening for the slightest creak, but although the door would have been pretty hard to open if she had been human it was no trouble for a vampire and opened without more than a slight squeak or two.

Once the door was open and Jasper jammed a wedge underneath it so that it wouldn't close until they had exited and then the two of them went down the stone steps turning on the light switch as they went. It seemed that the basement was much more then ten feet deep as they finally reached the bottom after over fifty very shallow stone steps. Once they stepped off the last step Jasper looked around and noticed that it was almost exactly as Bella had described it.

"You have a good memory," Jasper told Bella his pride obvious. "You're right this is the perfect place to bring your mother and torture her for a few days and it is certainly deep enough that her screams are unlikely to be heard by anyone human. It's not just 10 feet deep but at least 20, maybe more."

"And now you see why I never liked to come down here as I was too afraid I'd be trapped with no way out just because the door swung shut on me and I'm not sure if it can be opened from this side. As for my mother she didn't come down here because she was too lazy, and didn't want to climb all those stairs back up. Besides I believe she said more than once that the basement was creepy and my mother didn't like creepy if you know what I mean."

"I do," said Jasper seeming thoughtful then absolutely gleeful as an idea occurred to him. "You know that gives me an idea and how to torture your mother without actually touching her at least at first."

"How?" asked Bella eagerly, a reaction which pleased Jasper as it was good that his mate was as excited as he was about the coming torture session. Normally Jasper just drained his meals and was done with it, but that didn't mean he didn't enjoy torturing humans that deserved it and Bella's mother definitely fell into that category. Thanks to Maria he knew plenty of ways to torture someone and leave no physical evidence of that torture and he of course, also knew ways to leave so much damage on the human body that they looked like they should already be dead, but not actually kill that person until he was ready. He supposed that the decades he had experienced with that bitch had been good for something as he intended to put those hard won skills to good use and make sure that the woman that had given birth to his Bella, whom he loved more and more every hour, suffered as much as possible in the next few days before he finally ended her miserable existence. The only thing he would ever be grateful to the bitch for was not having an abortion as he would never be as happy as he was now if Bella had never been born, not that that was going to save her life.

"You could pretend to be the ghost of her daughter who came back in order to get revenge for the way you were treated as a child. Or perhaps you can be a revenant," Jasper added thoughtfully while those thoughts were running through his head. As a vampire he was perfectly capable of thinking more than one thing at a time and so he answered Bella's question without pause and also thought about all the torture techniques that he had picked up in his time with Maria and which one he was going to use on Renée first. Also that Bella wanted to participate and was just as eager a he was made the general stand at attention and the Major demand that he take her right there in order to thank her for this opportunity she was giving him and for being willing to torture her own mother. In fact the Major as well as Jasper knew that Bella wasn't going to sit back and just watch him torture her, but was going to be an active participant and this pleased the Major who was the violent part of Jasper Whitlock.

"Oh you mean like those ones out of the Mercedes Lackey books?" asked Bella looking eager. Once Bella had gotten ahold of her strength and she was sure she wouldn't rip the pages of her beloved Mercedes Lackey books she had reread them all. In fact even when she was in her newborn stage Jasper and her had sat on the bed in their room with her laying against his chest while he read them for her with her just listening. The sound of Jasper's voice, which was so deep, soothing and rich, with undertones of emotions that made listening to him a pleasure that she intended to take advantage of as often as possible even now that she could read her own books. It helped that Jasper had also enjoyed reading to her with her half laying on his chest and also seemed to enjoy the books. He had already admitted to her that he wasn't much of a fantasy fan although they both knew that that could very rapidly change. Just the physical contact that took place during these reading session was a reason to continue them as far as she was concerned and knew that Jasper felt the same. Physical contact, in other words skin to skin, was good for the mating bond, and especially important while that bond was still so new. Also that these reading sessions took place with both of them being buck naked and always led to sex had nothing to do with the actual reading of the book or did it? Bella wondered. Bella smirked internally as she thought about the amazing lovemaking sessions that happened after just a few chapters of a book which was another reason to keep repeating the experience as far as she was concerned and knew that Jasper definitely felt the same.

"Exactly love," Jasper told her with a wink and a wicked grin seeming unaware of which direction his mate's thoughts had turned. "All a revenant really is, is a zombie brought to life to wreck damage on the living. I'm sure your mother isn't aware of that though as she doesn't strike me as the type for reading fantasy."

"She isn't," Bella said with a snort. "She's always been one of people that read those cheap romance novels. You know the kind with all those sleazy sex scenes. So should we go wake my mother up and then drag her down here by her toes?" asked Bella hopefully, very excited and pleased at the thought of doing just that.

"Yes I believe it is time and I will allow you the honor of waking her up and dragging her out of bed, across the house and down the basement steps by her toes. Also you are more than welcome to join in on the torture if pleases you." Jasper agreed with a grin as he imagined that scene in his mind turning to go back up the steps of the basement Bella using vampire speed to race ahead of him and up the steps in a flash.

"Thanks, Jasper, you are the best. I will be more than pleased to join you in torturing my mother, although I will actually allow you to put an end to her miserable existence once we are done with her," Bella said enthusiastically giving his a heartfelt kiss on the lips.

"Thanks, sweetheart," Jasper said gratefully with the Major crowing in excitement and triumph in his head.

"You're more than welcome," Bella assured her mate with a wink, "but let's get started shall we? Come on slowpoke," Bella added quietly so as not to wake her mother when Jasper didn't move fast enough for her.

Jasper laughed at his mate's antics and then also used vampire speed to go up the basement steps.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

"Wakey, wakey," Bella told the sleeping woman in the bed using a leaf that she had picked up outside, underneath her nose tickling it.

Renée only scratched the itching spot and then went my back to sleep not even opening her eyes. Finally after about five minutes Bella rolled her eyes and said to Jasper, "Why don't you use your talent to wake her up? I had forgotten what a heavy sleeper she is."

"It will be a pleasure," Jasper assured her with a wicked grin. "Why don't you stand back as I don't want you to get caught up in my talent too."

Bella did as she was asked and then watched as Jasper stood there for just a second his head tilted to one side and then a determined look came onto his face and Bella knew that he had started pour on some kind of horrific mixture of emotions, ones that were guaranteed to wake anybody up no matter how deep their sleep was.

Renée woke up with a yell that was so loud that it left their sensitive ears ringing from the sound. Jasper stopped sending out the emotions as soon as he was sure that Renée was going to stay awake and not go back to sleep.

"Who are you?" asked Renée as soon as the two figures stepped out of the shadows. "What do you want? How did you get in here?"

"Why mother dear, don't you recognize your own daughter?" asked Bella stepping into the light so that Renée could see her face.

"Bella?" asked Renée. "But you're dead, aren't you?" her face a mask of astonishment and something else—fear—yes that was it. It was fear on her face, which was good as she should be afraid, very afraid, which was excellent as far as Bella and Jasper were concerned for they wanted Renée to be afraid of them. The more afraid of them she was the better.

"Of course I am dead," Bella hissed angrily stalking towards her mother with lethal grace. "No thanks to you! When I died my greatest wish was to come back and get my revenge on the woman who never cared about me at all."

"But I loved you," Renée protested with fear in her voice and her emotions.

Jasper soaked up that fear like a sponge reveling in it, although usually he didn't like feeling other peoples fear, but in this case he made an exception and the Major was more then content with how things were going so quit struggling to escape his cage that was made up of Jasper's very strong will in order to take over Jasper's body. Instead the Major just reveled in the emotions of fear and aguish that Renée was producing in strong waves soaking it into himself and once that was done immediately began begging for more, which he was about to receive.

"You never did!" Bella hissed menacingly coming closer causing Renée to shrink back in fear. "Or if you did you had a lousy way of showing it! All you did was go do your own thing while you left me, a child! to take care of the house and pay the bills, and do the cooking. Were you ever there when I really needed you for something? No of course not you were always off with one of those sleazy boyfriends of yours or planning to do something wild and crazy that might have gotten you killed, not thinking what that would have done to me! You were so into your own pleasure that you had no time for a child who wanted nothing more than to be loved and to love in return. Instead you left that child to be responsible for if she hadn't been we would've been thrown out on the street or gotten food poisoning. You know I had absolutely no friends in school, mother dear?" asked Bella rhetorically. "I had no friends because I did my best to do well in class and because I always had to head straight home just to take care of you when you should have been taking care of me!"

During and Bella's little speech Jasper had been sending out a very low level of fear and terror so that Renée would be rooted to the spot. This also added to her own natural fear and also by doing this made it impossible for Renée to even think of moving until they were ready. Renée's heart was beating really fast, much faster then what it should be and that was really good as far as the two vampires were concerned.

"What is it you want of me?" Renée asked as she lay curled up in a corner of the bed unable to go any farther because of the wall the bed was pushed against.

"What is it I want of you?" asked Bella as if considering the question very seriously. "Why your death of course," she finally hissed in Renée's ear. "Your death as payment for all your years of neglect," Bella told mother with an absolutely evil smirk. "Oh, but that's not all that is in store for you, oh no, we are also going to drag you down to the basement by your toes and torture you for a while before we finally let you die!"

Renée whimpered at that and she knew somehow instinctively that she would indeed die sometime in the next week or so and that no one would ever discover her body or even if they did and gave her a decent burial they would never mourn her as she had very few real friends in this life.

"Ready?" asked Jasper in a voice loud enough for Renée to hear.

"More than ready," Bella agreed grabbing her mother by her toes and dragging her off the bed where she fell with the bump hitting her head on the floor as she hit.

"Wake her up would you Jasper?" asked Bella politely, but also dispassionately as soon as she noticed that Renée was unconscious from bumping her head on the hard wooden floor.

Jasper complied and soon the sounds of Renée's whimpers and screams filled the house as Bella did as she said she would and grabbed hold of Renée's toes again and dragged her towards the living room and towards the door to the basement. When they got to the basement door, which stood open because Jasper was holding it, Bella without ceremony went through dragging Renée behind her not worrying that Renée's head and other parts of her body kept bumping against the stone steps or the wall of the basement as they descended. That Jasper had to wake Renée up several more times when she was knocked unconscious was also of no consequence. When Bella was far enough down the steps Jasper followed closing the door behind him so that they could do what they wanted in peace with no interruptions.

Once at the bottom of the steps Bella let go of Renée's toes, but only long enough so she could grab her by the legs and fling her against one of the very hard walls of the basement.

Renée slumped where she had fallen and only moved feebly as she was sure that some of her bones were broken at the least not to mention the numerous cuts, scrapes and bruises that she had received being dragged down here.

"She's all yours, love," Bella told Jasper quite calmly despite the current situation.

"Thank you, darlin'," said Jasper. "Would you like to join me?"

"I would be more than happy to," Bella told Jasper her words more for Renée's benefit as this had already been decided between them beforehand. She came to stand beside him her back military straight, her stance firm, determined and resolute and with fire in her eyes.

Jasper was so proud of her and he told her so before they began. "I am very proud of you, my mate," Jasper told Bella giving her a kiss on the lips in full view of their prisoner. "I am proud how you have acted so far and how you have not let any of your feelings that have for this woman interfere in what you know needs to be done in order to give you closure over that part of your life."

"I have no feelings for Renée at all, except anger, disgust, indignation, hate, enmity and shame that I bear part of her within my DNA."

"But if you did not you would not be the woman I love with my whole soul," Jasper told her quietly giving her a tender kiss on the forehead. "Even if you had been born to a different mother you would be different and I love you just as you are."

"You're right," Bella admitted grudgingly after a moment. "Well let's get busy shall we? We do only have a limited amount of time here as we have a schedule to keep."

"We shall," Jasper agreed as the two of them turned toward Renée as one.

"What shall we do first, my love?" Bella asked Jasper giving him the right to choose as he was the one that wanted to torture Renée for while in order to get revenge on her for what she had done to her as a child.

"Well, why don't we start with giving her half a dozen shallow cuts above what she has already received from being dragged down the steps and then we'll see," Jasper replied replied as he moved forward in order to do that. Jasper kneeled beside Renée ripping off her nightgown and panties until she was completely naked and then used his fingernails in order to create cuts along her skin. A vampire didn't really need a knife or other weapons in order to do damage as they were weapons themselves or at least they were where humans were concerned. A human's flesh was very easy to cut into with a vampire's fingernails as it was soft compared to a vampire's hard stone skin. Also a vampire's nails were made out of the same substance as the skin so cutting into human flesh was a lot like taking a razor sharp knife and cutting into a loaf of fresh baked bread.

Renée watched as the pieces of her nightgown fluttered in the air for a moment and then float to the floor. One part of her mind wondered how this man been able to just rip her nightgown into pieces in one fell swoop without using a knife or anything to cut it with, while another part of her mind wondered why he was involved in the first place and if he was also dead like Bella was.

"Why are you doing this?" Renée asked the man who she didn't even know the name of.

"Why?" asked Jasper the anger and disgust in his voice causing Renée to shrink back as far as she could go. Jasper continued to cut into her skin as he replied, "I'm doing this because you hurt my mate. It might have been before I met her, but you hurt her all the same with all your neglect and she was nothing more than a child. A child needs to be loved and nurtured so that they grow into happy healthy adults, neither of which you provided. A young child needs attention and to be watched to make sure they don't get themselves hurt or killed. Thousands of children a year die from neglect and because their parents don't pay them the attention they should. Hundreds of kids die in a year just from stepping into the street where they are run over by a car and also from various other causes. What does this tell you?" Jasper added rhetorically as he continued his treatment.

"Mate?" asked Renée whimpering not really paying attention to Jasper's little speech as she was just in to much pain although she also knew that the torture was just beginning. She sobbed in pain as apparently the man's fingernails were razor-sharp as he cut into her skin like a hot knife through butter.

"Bella would you mind explaining to her what we really are?" asked Jasper as he concentrated

"Of course, love," Bella agreed as she came a little closer trying to ignore the smell of blood. "You see, Renée, there is a world that humans know absolutely nothing about as it is hidden and with good reason. This world is very dangerous for humans and those who find out about it are either killed immediately are turned into what we are now."

"What are you?" Renée asked.

"I wasn't lying to you earlier when I said I was dead," Bella said simply. "For I am dead, that is what vampires are after all the walking dead."

The way Bella said is so matter-of-factly it took Renée a moment to process what she had actually said. "Vampire? Vampires aren't real!"

"Oh no? Then how do you explain how my looks have changed? Or how I moved so fast or managed to drag you here without straining myself in the least and in fact you felt as light as a feather? How do you explain that Jasper is cutting into your skin so easily with just his fingernails? Or the fact that Jasper's and my eyes are as red of blood?" Bella said carelessly not caring if Renée found out what they were as she would soon be very dead so it didn't matter if her former mother found out about a world that was supposed to be kept secret from humans. "Anyway back to my explanation, a mate is someone who is the perfect match for a vampire and they will always know it just by the fact that there is a pull from within their bodies in the direction of that person when they set eyes on them for the very first time. Jasper and I met totally by accident as he saved my life from being raped and probably killed in an alley not far from where I was going to college. In that moment he knew that I was the one he had been looking for ever since he had been turned into a vampire. I was attracted to him too although that's not unusual as vampires use their looks to attract their prey a lot of the time. The fact that he had not killed me and had in fact saved my life spoke volumes for the fact that he did not mean me any harm. When he took me back to his hotel room he explained it all to me and for some reason I believed him. Of course I also felt a pull although it was much weaker as I was still human at the time and I agreed with being turned into a vampire, so we would always be together."

"For which I will always be grateful for," Jasper said rising from where he was kneeling by Renée and coming over to give Bella kiss on the forehead.

"So what are you going to do next?" asked Bella eagerly as she looked at my mother without an ounce of pity in her expression or her emotions. In fact if Bella's emotions were any indication she was eager to really get started as just a few slices that were oozing blood were hardly enough to satisfy her need for revenge.

"Despite the fact that you had never shown me an ounce of love I still knew what love was, which is why I was able to recognize it when I met Jasper," Bella added looking directly into her mother's eyes.

"How would you like to join me for my next idea?" asked Jasper as he watched Renée without expression.

"What's the idea?" asked Bella curiously looking eager as she was sure that it would be something that would cause her mother a great deal of pain.

"I thought we could start crushing the bones in her body starting with the really small ones like the fingers and toes and then graduate to the bigger bones."

"Sounds like a fine idea to me," Bella agreed with an evil smirk in the direction of her mother causing Renée to whimper even more than she already was a she was already in extreme pain from all the cuts that Jasper had inflicted all over her body.

"You start on that side I'll start on this one," Jasper said as he kneeled down next to Renée again Bella doing the same on the opposite side.

Bella studied her mother for a moment and then casually took the little toe of her right foot between her thumb and forefinger and applied just enough pressure to crush the bone into powder which caused Renée to scream bloody murder, which quickly subsided to whimpering, but quickly turned into a another scream as Jasper causally, but with a look of savage pleasure and glee in his ruby red eyes did the same thing to her little finger on her left hand.

Once Renée's scream had subsided to whimpers Bella and Jasper looked at each other and seemed to communicate silently as they each picked up one of Renée's feet and crushed two of her toe bones at the exact same instant causing Renée to scream even louder and start to claw at the hard concrete floor of the basement as if trying to dig her way to China. Unfortunately for Renée though when the basement had been made it had been made well and there was no chance that she was going to be able to get away from them by trying to dig herself out of the basement and into the outside world. Even if it had been just a remote possibility there is no way that she would be able to escape from two vampires who would be on her before she'd dug more than a handful of dirt.

"Why don't you use your talent on her?" Bella suggested with a wicked smile in her mother's direction. "I'm sure you can cause her very intense pain just from your talent alone, but why don't you do that and also crush her bones at the same time?"

"That is an excellent idea," Jasper approved sending her his pride.

"Bella!" Renée whined pathetically. "This isn't like my little darling girl. What has changed you to this extent?"

"I don't initiate violence, I retaliate," Bella quoted. "You know I'm not sure where I heard that or who said it, but it certainly fits this situation don't you agree?"

"It does," Jasper chuckled. "I know exactly who said that."

"Who?" asked Bella curiously.

"Chuck Norris," Jasper replied with a twinkle in his red eyes.

"Chuck Norris the karate champion and movie star?" asked Bella.

"One and the same," Jasper chuckled.

"In case you didn't get the point of the quote," Bella told the mother very calmly with just a hint of steel beneath her words, "I didn't initiate violence, but am simply retaliating for all the neglect that you heaped on me when I was nothing but a helpless child. Sure you never physically abused me, but neglect itself is a kind of abuse. Also I was your unpaid servant as I did the cooking, the cleaning, paid the bills, and anything else that needed to be done in order to keep this house and decent food on the table and that in a way is also abuse since I was just a child who should've spent her days just having fun with friends or going to school and studying. Sure there's nothing wrong with a few chores as it supposedly builds character, but what I had was not just a few chores. Keeping my room clean would have been a chore and appropriate for a child to do, but not a whole list of things that you should've been the one to do as you were the grownup, the supposedly responsible one is not something any child should be doing. I shouldn't have been the one paying the bills for instance as I was just a child after all and that is not the responsibility that someone as young as I was should have had to handle, but the responsibility of an adult. If I hadn't though we would've lost the house and ended up on the street or gotten food poisoning if I hadn't learned how to cook. So you see you really caused your own punishment by neglecting me for if you had done what any mother is supposed to do and taken care of me and loved me like you should have this wouldn't have happened. On the other hand if you hadn't done exactly what you did I might never have met Jasper so even though that doesn't mean you get off scot-free I will be forever grateful to you for being who you are as Jasper is my life."

"And you are mine," Jasper said as he came and put an arm around Bella's shoulders hugging her close to him grateful again that she was his forevermore.

"So I hope that answers your question of why I have changed so much," Bella told her mother. "Violence is part of human nature and that is even more true as a vampire as the vampire species can be very violent as we do drink human blood after all."

Renée whimpered and tried not to move to much as every time she did intense pain shot up from her broken and crushed bones, her cuts and her abrasions and she looked at Bella who had used to be so very pliable, but somehow over the years she had been gone she had grown a spine or maybe she had always had one, but had learned how to stand up for herself and now refused to back down from doing what she felt was right.

"Shall we continue what we were doing?" asked Jasper after a moment.

"Yes," Bella replied. "I'll give you 10 seconds to get her screaming so loud that we should be surprised that the whole house doesn't come down around our ears. Start, now!" Bella ordered and Jasper immediately complied and started amping up his talent and he did indeed have Renée screaming within just two or three seconds and then her screams reached an even higher pitch as Jasper turned up his talent another notch. Soon Jasper had his talent at full strength and Renée was screaming so loudly that he would be surprised if they didn't hear the screams out in the neighborhood as the basement while deep wasn't that deep.

"Maybe we'd better stop," Bella commented looking disappointed. "It's not out of any pity for Renée, but I'm afraid they'll hear the screams out in the neighborhood since while the basement is deep it isn't that deep."

"I agree," Jasper told her cutting off his talent so suddenly that Renée slumped back against the wall breathing heavily surprised at the sudden absence of pain, well scratch that she was still in pain, but not nearly as much as she had been just a few seconds ago as she still felt the pain from her her crushed bones, slashed flesh and bruises. "I was just thinking the same thing actually and we don't want to be interrupted before we're done now do we?"

"No we definitely don't want to be interrupted," Bella agreed. "We might want to case the neighborhood tomorrow and just see what people say as sometimes you can learn a lot just by listening. If the neighbors right next door don't bring it up tomorrow then the ones farther away wouldn't have heard anything either."

"A good idea," Jasper approved. "It is always good to cover your tracks, but for now..."

Jasper took one of Renée's hands in his and started to crush her fingers one by one or at least the ones that hadn't already been crushed into powder, while Bella did the same with the opposite foot crushing the toes one at a time causing her mother as much pain as she could and also prolonging the agony as much as possible.

Once Bella and Jasper were done with the the fingers and the toes they started on the bones of the hands and feet crushing them by applying just enough pressure in order to do so. It was almost like putting the hand or foot into a one of those metal vises and then turning the handle, except that this was done without any mechanical assistance just with the power of a vampire's own muscles.

"I think, that I will remove her breasts," Jasper commented it as he looked at the woman that was his wife's mother. "After all a woman isn't really a woman without her breast, don't you agree?"

"That's what a large percentage of the human population seems to think," Bella agreed. "I never understood that attitude because if you had cancer in your breast and you had to have one removed in order to save your life that didn't make you any less of a woman, but a large percentage of the population seems to think so, although it's mostly men, but some women to."

"That was especially true in the time I was born," Jasper said as he started to lean down to where Renée was curled up on the floor. "Of course in my time also there wasn't really surgery to take out a women's breast and if you did get cancer which wasn't identified back then you died, usually slowly and painfully. Would you mind holding her down so she can't curl up again, my love?" Jasper asked politely with a sultry look and a wink in his wife's direction.

"Sure," Bella agreed Jasper's look making her even wetter than she already was down in her pussy, although making love was going to have to be saved for later as now was not the time. Bella came over to where the Major was standing and slowly straightened out her mother and then sat on her stomach so she couldn't curl up again. Bella didn't bother being gentle as she didn't really care if she happened to sit on one of Renée's injuries or if she jostled one of her mother's broken bones because causing her extreme pain was one pleasure she was not going to get again as she would soon be dead.

Once Bella sat on her mother's stomach and was holding down her arms so that she couldn't move Jasper slowly used his fingernails like claws to cut into one of Renée's breasts and then slowly cut a circle around it and it was only seconds later that blood began to seep through the cuts that only got worse. Jasper did this several times each time going deeper into the skin and muscles and bone until the breast was halfway cut through and Renée was whimpering and screaming, but finally Jasper grew tired of the slow torture and just ripped what remained of the breast off completely the shock of which knocked Renée unconscious.

"Well, should we do the same to the other one?" asked Bella

"No I believe this time I'll start on the nipple and do it in stages instead of doing the whole breast at once," Jasper decided after a moment. "I'll cut off the nipple first as that is bound to be even more painful as your nipples are supposed to be very sensitive to sensation and then after that I'll cut into it halfway down and rip that off once I'm done giving her cuts and wounds and then finally I'll do the bottom half and go slowly and then rip that off as well."

"You do realize that you probably have to wake up several times if you do it this way," Bella commented not seeming at all disturbed at what Jasper had just described as she didn't have one ounce of feeling for her mother at all except hate, disdain and anger.

Jasper shrugged and said, "It hardly matters as it's not like I can't wake her up without even having to touch her or I suppose we can dump ice cold water on her head if that's what you want. Having her shivering hard enough to make her teeth rattle won't bother me as she won't be alive long enough to catch cold."

"It doesn't bother me either if we decide to do that," Bella assured him. "Well, you'd better get busy then as we have only a limited amount of time," Bella reminded him gently.

Jasper nodded not seeming at all upset at the gentle reprimand if only because it came from his mate and they did have have schedule to keep.

"Would you like to do this one?" asked Jasper.

"Thanks," Bella agreed enthusiastically as she went to kneel beside her mother and after Jasper had woken her up she leaned down and begin to do the same thing that Jasper had done except she started with the nipple just as Jasper had suggested, which she just pulled off causing her mother to scream and black out again.

"Would you mind waking her up for me?" asked Bella. "I can't really continue the torture if she's not awake to enjoy the pain, now can I?"

Jasper was more than happy to do that and used his talent to send Renée Swan as much pain as he had done before in order to wake her back up.

Once Renée was awake leaking blood Bella continued the torture quite happily and took off half of her mother's breast after cutting into it more than halfway and ripping it off.

"You know instead of having you wake her up with your talent I think I'm going to slap her awake instead, although a bucket of cold water is sounding better all the time," Bella decided as she slapped her mother several times very hard across the cheek, so hard in fact that she heard the snapping of bones.

"That's bound to hurt," Jasper commented dispassionately as he watched his mate slap her mother awake. "It sure does turn me on though."

"Well I'll have to satisfy your urges a little later, but we will, that I promise you as I want you as bad if not worse then you want me," Bella told him with a lustful gleam in her ruby red eyes.

"I'll hold you to that," Jasper said his black eyes gleaming with the thought of being buried inside the love of his existence as there was no place else he'd rather be, but unfortunately now was not the time.

"I don't really care if I hurt her, you know?" Bella added rhetorically. "I really don't, not after all she put me through when I was growing up."

"And that is as it should be," Jasper told her firmly.

"Bella!" Renée pleaded. "You don't have to do this!"

"Yes I do, mother dear," Bella told her with a certain amount of venom in her voice. "I need closure over this part of my life if I am to continue my existence with the man I love and you are the very last loose ends that I need to tie up."

Bella continued her torture on the lower part of her mother's breast and pretty soon she ripped that up as well and René blacked out again, but finally her mother didn't have any breasts anymore just two holes that were spraying blood everywhere.

"We had better do something about those wounds or pretty soon she'll be dead and we won't be able to torture her anymore," Jasper commented so matter-of-factly that it was as if he was talking about the weather instead of not letting a human being bleed to death if they didn't cauterize the flow of blood as he looked at Renée's wounds.

"All we need to do is cauterize them and all we need for that is a poker from the fireplace," Bella said. "Whoever gets it needs to make sure it is white hot so that we can cause her as much pain as possible."

"I'll get it," Jasper said heading towards the stairs. "After we do that though we need to go hunt before we continue."

"Yes we do," Bella agreed as she watched Jasper disappear up the stairs and out the basement door.

"Don't do anything until I get back," Jasper called down the stairs.

"I won't," Bella promised.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

Jasper and Bella headed to Scottsdale as they knew they could get a good meal there after making sure the door to the basement had a chair underneath the knob so that Renée couldn't escape while they were gone not that that was too likely considering the shape she was in just barely alive, but you never knew if desperation was going to give someone strength or not so it was better to be safe than sorry.

It didn't take them long to get to Scottsdale driving the rental car although Jasper parked the car in a better part of town just so the wheels of the car weren't as likely to get stolen and the two of them ran the rest of the way as it was now dark enough that they were unlikely to be seen.

Once they arrived in Scottsdale they started looking around for their meals while pretending they were just going to go into the nearest sleazy bar for a drink.

"See anybody you want to drain?" asked Jasper quietly as his eyes continued to scan the street as they walked along hand in hand.

"Not yet," Bella said as she continued to look around to see if anybody in particular stood out.

"There," she added finally as she spotted what appeared a very drunk man who had just slapped a woman across the cheek hard enough to cause her head to snap back sharply. Both the man and woman had just come out the back door of the bar that led into an alley. The woman followed him and he pushed her away from and then turned away from her as if to say she meant nothing to him. "He's a bully if I ever saw one and I, like Melissa hate bullies."

"He is drunk though and sometimes you do things when you're drunk that you don't do when you are sober, not that it really matters," Jasper pointed out.

"No it doesn't really matter if he's a decent human being when he's sober as he's probably drunk most of the time," Bella said soberly as she watched the man's movements like a hawk that was about to dive on their prey.

The woman was sobbing behind them and Jasper felt sympathy for her although he didn't allow it to distract him as he scanned the streets and the dark alleys for his own meal.

Bella walked across the street as if she didn't have a care in the world and as soon as she passed the alley she walked into it as if she was heading for the back door of the bar and sensed when the man followed.

"Hey, babe," said the man who was to drunk to see the danger he was in. "Why don't you and me go make some beautiful music together?"

"And why would I want to do that with you? You are drunk, you smell like you just finished cleaning a stable, and your breath is enough to knock somebody off their feet at fifty paces," Bella replied.

"Why you! I'll teach you to talk back to me!" the man said as he approached her prepared to slap her silly just like he had done to that barmaid a minute ago, but instead found himself in a grip stronger than iron.

The man struggled trying to get himself free, but it was impossible as the woman's grip felt like a vise—a very tight vise.

"What are you?" asked the man as he desperately tried to free himself from the woman's viselike grip.

"Why your worst nightmare of course," Bella told him smirking at him her red eyes clearly to be seen despite the darkness of the alley considering she was standing less then an inch from. "I am a vampire." With those last words Bella struck so fast and had he teeth attached to the man's neck draining him dry in just a few minutes.

Jasper had also found his own meal close by and rejoined Bella just in time to pick up the corpse of the man she had drained and throw it into the same dumpster that he had thrown his and then Bella produced a lighter out of her pocket and set the dumpster on fire.

"Let's go find us another meal and then we can get back to torturing Renée," said Jasper

Bella nodded agreement and the two headed deeper into Scottsdale to find them another meal before they got back to torturing Renée Swan.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

"So what next?" asked Bella a couple of hours later as she and Jasper had just come from a hunt and from listening to the neighbors to see if they had heard anything so far, which they hadn't so they were in the clear for the moment. They had only gone on a hunt just as it was getting dark enough so they wouldn't sparkle, because Bella especially was really thirsty since she had had to smell all that fresh blood that was flowing out of her mother's wounds. To a vampire, especially a new one, smelling all that fresh blood was like putting a bloody raw steak in front of a tiger. They had cauterized all Renée's wounds before they left so that she would live just a little longer and then gone to get them a meal.

"Why don't you decide?" Jasper suggested giving his mate the right to make the next decision on how to torture her mother next.

Bella thought about it for a minute and then a certain gleam came into her eyes, "I have the perfect way to torture her next," Bella said.

"How?" asked Jasper with curiosity, but also anticipation as he knew his mate well enough to know that she had thought of something that was likely to be not only be very painful for Renée, but pleasurable for him and Bella. Pleasurable in the fact that they were the ones that got to carry it out and enjoy the sight of Renée in extreme pain, which would eventually lead to her death.

"Well have you heard that there are more nerves in the area of the vagina then in any other part of the body?" asked Bella.

"Yes I do believe I heard that somewhere," Jasper replied wondering where Bella was going with this.

"Well how do you think it would feel if we cut into that area of her body with our fingernails?" asked Bella inspected her fingernails as if she was just talking about a manicure instead of the torture of another human being much less her mother. "Some people say that there are over 8,000 nerve endings and over 15,000 nerve fibers in the clitoris alone and imagine how much pain she would be in if we really cut into her in that particular area?"

"You are a genius," Jasper told her knowing exactly what Bella meant. Jasper tried to imagine the pain that Renée would be in if the clit and vagina really did have over 8,000 nerve endings in what was really a relatively small area of the body. "Let's get started, shall we?" Jasper said as he moved towards Renée's naked form.

Jasper had absolutely no problem with messing with what was supposed to be a woman's private area and not to be touched by anyone save herself, her mother, or her husband, at least that was how it had been when Jasper had been born. Now while it was still a woman's private area a lot of woman had sex before marriage and some never got married at all and still had sex so no Jasper didn't have any problem with cutting into or touching that particular part of the body so long as Bella knew that doing it meant nothing to him, except as a way to torture Renée Swan even more.

"You do know that doing this means nothing to me," Jasper told Bella before they began. "It is nothing except another way to torture this woman who birthed you, but didn't love you as a mother should."

"I know that," Bella assured him giving him a kiss on the lips in a gesture of reassurance. "I'm not the jealous type I promise you, as I know you belong to me heart and soul."

Jasper relaxed a little at Bella's words and then said, "I do, believe me I do."

"I know it so you can quit worrying that I'm going to be jealous or offended if we do this," Bella said. "I know where your heart belongs and that's all that matters."

Jasper relaxed completely at that and said his confidence completely restored, "Why don't we get started then?"

Bella nodded and the two of them headed over to where Renée lay curled up in a ball whimpering quietly.

Jasper reached Renée and straightened her out from her curled position not bothering to be gentle and not caring if she was in a great deal of pain as he straightened her limbs and in fact he enjoyed the feeling of her pain, which usually wasn't the case, but he made an exception for this one time as this woman had offended him so deeply that he actually reveled in her emotions of agony and pain as did the Major who watched as his mate and his other half tortured this woman. The Major had always reveled in feelings of agony and pain as that was all he had ever known since he had first woken up as a vampire and he actually congratulated his other half for the good job he was doing torturing this woman that was his mate's mother.

"I believe that we're going to have to tie her down or she's going to resist us," Jasper said as Renée curled right back up as soon as he released her.

"I believe you're right," Bella said looking down at her mother dispassionately. "I think there is some of those ties for trash bags up in the kitchen or there should be anyway."

"Of course I was thinking that I could just use my talent to make her sleepy so that she doesn't change position, but on the other hand why show her any mercy? Besides she would just curl right back up as soon as we started causing her any type of pain at all so I suppose we had better go get those ties."

"I'll go," Bella said. "I used to live in this house and I know where everything is located unless Renée has changed everything around drastically I should be able to find them in less time than you could."

Jasper nodded and watched Bella race up the stairs open the door and disappear.

"Just don't do anything until I get back," Bella said repeating Jasper's earlier words.

Jasper laughed shaking his head as Bella playfully threw his earlier words back at him. "I won't," Jasper promised also repeating Bella's earlier words.

Bella disappeared up the stairs and Jasper heard the door opening, then closing and it wasn't long it all before Bella was back with the item in question and several other useful things as well.

"I happened to remember that we had some camping rope in the closet," Bella said cheerfully, "and I thought that might be more useful than the ties used on trashbags.

"It is indeed," Jasper said as he took below. "I didn't know that you were into camping?"

"I went with my father a few years before he died and this is what's left of all that camping gear as I gave away most of it as I figured out quite quickly that I didn't like camping in the least not as a human anyway. Charlie loved to camp if only because he could fish to his heart's content. He loved to fish as it was his favorite pastime when he wasn't working. Normally I would have gone to see him, but there was this one time when I was about 12 that he came down here and he decided that I needed to learn how to camp and certain other survival skills. I was very clumsy back then as I hadn't yet started running, but once Charlie got an idea into his head it was very hard to dissuade him as he was very stubborn, which is a Swan family trait. I remember at the time that although I enjoyed spending time with my father that this was a hairbrained idea as me and the wilderness didn't get along, mostly because of my clumsiness. I remember that we ended up coming back early and Charlie had to take me to the emergency room because I had a fish hook in my finger. Over the years that I went to visit him Charlie tried more than once to get me into fishing, but I never complied because I knew that if I did it was just an accident waiting to happen, but he seemed determined to teach me something about wilderness survival before he left this time. I believe his comment at the time was that as clumsy as I was that I needed to be able to patch my own wounds or at least survive long enough to reach somebody who could help me just in case I was ever stuck out in the wilderness for whatever reason."

The memories of Charlie were bittersweet for Bella and Jasper pulled her into a hug and rubbed her back soothingly until he felt her emotions settle back to normal.

"I see you also found some of these pitons that are used in mountain climbing."

"Yep, I thought we could hammer them into the wall and then attach the rope and tie her hands down and that way she won't be able to curl up if we do it right."

"Great idea," Jasper approved the Major crowing in his mind about how smart and intelligent his mate was, which Jasper wholeheartedly agreed with. "What about her feet though? She'll still be able wiggle her lower body and the other wall isn't close enough to tie her feet as well."

"Maybe the floor would be better," Bella mused not having thought about the fact that Renée's feet would have still been free. "Luckily the floor is wood and pretty thick and we should be able to hammer these pitons into it without cracking the wood to badly so long as we're careful with our strength. If we do that it should hold a human for at least a couple of days and after that we're planning on burning the house down anyway so it doesn't matter how much damage we actually do."

"Great idea," Jasper approved. "You're right the boards on the floor are thick, at least 3 inches, which is pretty thick for a wood floor, which makes me wonder what this room was really used for in the past not that it matters."

Bella had Jasper do the hammering of the pitons into the wood of the floor as she wasn't sure if she could do it without cracking the slats to the point that they would be useless for their purposes. Once Jasper was done they tied Renée to the pitons, not bothering to be gentle of her injuries since they had caused them after all. Soon Renée couldn't move around too much as she was very tightly tied to the four pitons that were hammered into the wooden floor with her arms and legs stretched out on either side of her body.

"You know what this reminds me of?" asked Jasper laughing.

"What?" asked Bella curiously.

"It reminds me of those movies where the hero is tied just like this and then left the bake in the sun or above an anthill where the ants will be all over them until they either die or escape."

"And of course being the hero they end up escaping," Bella commented.

"Of course," Jasper agreed with a genuine smile. "That won't happen here though I guarantee you for this isn't a movie, but real life and the pitons are quite strong enough to hold a struggling human for at least a few days without shifting or cracking the wood of the floor enough for one of the pitons to loosen."

"Well let's get started, shall we?" asked Bella as she looked at Jasper as this was his operation not hers.

"Oh yes," Jasper wholeheartedly agreed using his empathic ability to wake Renée up from were she had fallen unconscious due to the pain of her injuries. "We can't have you unconscious while we continue the torture now can we?" Jasper asked the naked figure rhetorically, but with a smirk.

"Please!" Renée begged whimpering pitifully. "Please! Just let me go!"

"Sorry, no can do, even if we wanted to," Bella told her mother not sounding sorry at all. Bella came to stand directly in her field of vision so that Renée could get a good look at her determined face and her red eyes which were were narrowed in anger. "You know about vampires now so even if we wanted to release you we couldn't for you know that we exist and we must remain nothing more than legends."

"I won't tell anyone," Renée pleaded.

Bella and Jasper ignored her and started on what they had planned to do to her next.

Without needing any words at all Jasper and Bella positioned themselves on either side of Renée's body and both leaned down and started to cut into Renée's vagina with their fingernails.

Renée screamed much louder than she had previously except for when Jasper had been using his talent. This scream on the other hand was genuine as Jasper had not yet started to use his talent to cause her even more pain

Jasper and Bella continued cutting into Renée's vagina with their fingernails and Jasper also started to use his empathic talent to cause her even more pain.

At this point in the torture Renée was bleeding from more then a fifty wounds of various lengths and depths caused by Jasper's fingernails, have her breasts removed, had had the bones crushed in her hands, fingers, feet and toes and and this was just the latest round of what they planned to do to her although sooner or later Renée's abused body was not going to be able to take anymore as she was only human and therefore fragile and very mortal, but for now they continued.

Finally after just a few more minutes of this treatment Jasper cut a big chunk of Renée's vagina loose. This part of Renée was not just skin but actual flesh, bone and nerves and you would think that separating a chunk of it from the body would be impossible, but let's not forget that Jasper and Bella a vampires and therefore at least twenty times stronger then a human. A human's bones are very fragile compared to vampire's and so it really wasn't to difficult for Jasper to use his fingernails almost like hooks and pull loose a large chunk of Renée's womanhood.

Renée screamed for a long second and then suddenly stopped as she blacked out from the pain of what Jasper had just done.

Thanks to Jasper, Renée no longer looked like the whole woman at least down in that area as there was a gapping space where that chunk of bone and flesh had once been, not to mention the gaping wounds where her breast had used to be.

Jasper threw the chunk of bone and skin into a corner not caring about it anymore now that it was separated from Renée's flesh. He studied his mate's mother noticing that she looked like Bella a great deal, although Bella apparently favored her father in coloring, the shape of the eyes and the color of her hair as Renée's hair was more of a reddish brown like a penny, while his mate's was almost all brown except with blond highlights throughout. Renée was bleeding fiercely and she would soon be dead as there was only so much blood in the human body if something wasn't done and fast to cauterize the wound.

"We had better finish up," Jasper said dispassionately, "or she will soon be dead before we finish all we want to do to her as I don't think she's going to stop bleeding until she's out of blood entirely. I'm actually surprised she is still alive as she must have lost at least half of her own blood by now, maybe more. She should have gone into shock at the very least."

"Okay," Bella answered somewhat tightly, which Jasper immediately noticed.

"Are you okay, love?" asked Jasper in concern.

"I am fine, I'm just trying not to breathe too much as the smell of blood is very overwhelming right now."

"Oh I'm sorry I wasn't thinking about the fact that you're not even four years old yet you've been doing so well around blood," said Jasper looking contrite.

"I'll be okay," Bella assured him. "Let's finish this though so I can go and get me a meal."

"Okay," Jasper agreed as he and Bella continued to carve into what was left Renée's vagina as soon as Jasper had woken her up from her unconscious state.

"I think we have no more than an hour before she's completely dead," Jasper said after a moment as he observed the flow of blood. "I'll be surprised if we even have that much though."

The two vampires continued to crush bones and cut into Renée's flesh and it wasn't long with all the additional wounds that Renée's body just couldn't take anymore and she died of shock and blood loss.

"Well that's the end of that," Bella said as she looked down dispassionately at the body that used to be her mother.

"Let's set the house on fire in such a way that there won't be enough to identify whether there was a human inside when it blows or not," Jasper said.

"You know more about that kind of thing than I do so I'll leave the details to you," Bella said with a smile. "But after we do that I really need to go hunt as I am very thirsty and I definitely don't want to drink any of the blood that belonged to my mother."

"Not that there's much left that hasn't soaked into the wooden floorboards," Jasper smirked. "We need to make sure that we set fire in this basement as well as it probably won't be destroyed with the rest of the house if we don't as it is so deep."

"Just tell me what to do, so I can going and get me a meal and I'm sure that you need some dinner as well," Bella said.

"I do, but not as badly as you do as I am a lot older than you are and have been in this kind of situation before."

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

Less than half an hour later the two vampires walked out of the house after Jasper had set it up so that it would blow to kingdom come including the basement. Once that happened there wouldn't be enough evidence to fill a thimble much less figure out what it happened to cause the house to blow up in the first place. Even now the basement was burning as Jasper had discovered an old boiler that hadn't been used in years and had set it up to blow in just five minutes.

Jasper and Bella didn't bother to look back at the house the walked towards their truck hand-in-hand. Once the two of them had gotten a little bit over half a block away walking at a normal human pace they heard a boom and they knew that the house had blown up.

"I suppose that we had better stick around town for couple of days and maybe see some of the sites just to make sure that no by suspects that it was us that calls the house to blow up," Jasper said looking at his watch that said it was after 1 o'clock in the morning. They had tortured Renée Swan for only three days before she had died, but that was enough as the beast within him known as the Major was satisfied that he had gotten his revenge on the woman who had hurt his mate so badly.

"We'll have to see the sights at night after the sun has gone down as I'm afraid the Phoenix does not have very many cloudy or rainy days considering it is located in the middle of the dessert," Bella said with a smile as she gave Jasper's hand a squeeze.

"Well we had better go find us a meal before the sun comes up," Jasper said returning the squeeze.

The two of them continued to walk in silence and finally reached the truck that Jasper had rented.

Jasper ever the gentleman opened Bella's door for her and Bella climbed in not even protesting that she could open her own doors as she had learned that doing so was completely fruitless as such gestures were so a part of the man she loved that there was absolutely no hope of changing those ingrained characteristics.

Jasper got into the driver's seat and started the engine and pulled the truck away from the curb immediately heading in the direction of Scottsdale which was a good section for them to go hunting.

"So where should we go on vacation first?" asked Bella with a raised eyebrow.

"It's your decision," Jasper told her as he drove the car towards Scottsdale.

Bella thought about it for a while and then said, "Well I wouldn't mind going somewhere that isn't as warm as Phoenix but is still relatively warm you know?"

"Yes," Jasper said knowing exactly what she meant.

"Somewhere where it's cloudy or rainy more days than not that we can get out and do things without worrying about sparkling in the sun," Bella added.

"What about Amsterdam?" asked Jasper with a raised eyebrow.

"Holland?" asked Bella. "What's in Holland for us to do?"

"Well it is a diamond capital of the world you know," Jasper said smirked knowing very well how Bella would react to that.

Bella rolled her eyes at him and said, "Is all you ever think about is giving me things?"

"Well no, what I really think about all the time is fucking you again and again and again and again so that we never leave the bed," Jasper told her with a smirk in her direction knowing the reaction he was going to get very well. "I am still a man after all despite being a vampire and you my mate are absolutely delectable and I desire you all the time."

"I desire you all the time to although I do think about more then sex," Bella said leaning over and giving Jasper a kiss on the cheek.

"Oh I do too I can think about more than one thing at a time you know thanks to the increased brain capacity," Jasper told her.

"Holland it is," Bella decided, "and you do speak Dutch which is awfully convenient."

"I speak a lot of languages though," Jasper said with pardonable pride. "Spanish for example."

"Yes and I hope eventually I will be able to speak as many languages as you do so I don't have to have you there just to translate for me if we need to be two different places for whatever reason."

"You will," Jasper assured her with the wink. "I guarantee you that in 10 years if we travel a lot you will have picked up at least five or six different languages if not more and I will help you become fluent in them. I didn't become fluent in all the languages I know until after I moved in with the Cullens as I did not have time to even think about learning a new language or anything else with training the newborns or fighting. That wasn't really much to do with the Cullens either except study or take occasional trips by yourself or with the family and I needed something to occupy my time as unlike Rosalie and Emmett and Carlisle and Esme I didn't have a mate to spend the time with," Jasper said with a shrug. "Alice and I were married it is true, but we weren't mates and so although we spent a great deal of time together we didn't spend as much time as the truly mated pairs did. Also there were activities to do with the family like a movie night, but that still left me with plenty of time to study and I was doing it the old fashioned way out of a language dictionary. It was rather tedious even though I could read the dictionary at vampire speed and have it done in seconds. It was true that I might have known the words, but it took longer to be able to produce sentences and being within the country that actually spoke the language helped a lot. Of course once I knew a specific sentence I never forgot and it really wasn't long at all, before I was speaking a language as if I was bilingual from the very first word, you know like a baby learns."

"You do have a mate now though so you won't have as much time to pick up languages," Bella told him tenderly running one finger over his cheek, "and neither will I for that matter so I doubt I will be picking up those languages as fast as you did since all you did was study."

"Yeah, but they have those language CDs in just about any dialect you can name now, which they didn't have back when I first moved in with the Cullens," Jasper said, "so you will probably pick it up just as fast as I did, if not faster. The written language though is going to take you some time to master."

The two of them fell silent and just enjoyed each other's company as Jasper continued to drive to Scottsdale speeding up to over 100 on the back roads so that they could get there sooner.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

Three days later Jasper and Bella arrived in Holland and Jasper brought the plane to land as soon as the Amsterdam Airport Schiphol gave him permission.

The two of them had made sure to call Melissa every day to see how she was doing and Melissa also called them even when they had been torturing Renée. Melissa still had no idea that they were anywhere near Phoenix as whenever they had answered her calls they had make sure that they were as far away from the basement as they could get without leaving the house.

Once Jasper had taxied down the runway and stopped the plane the two of them exited into a very cloudy day. It was a good thing it was cloudy as that meant that they wouldn't have to wait to start seeing the attractions as they wouldn't sparkle in the sun. In fact Jasper had planned it this way as he had checked the internet news about Amsterdam and what the weather was like before he had decided that it was a good day to fly. Luckily for them there were more cloudy and rainy days between October and March then not and they just happened to be going at the end of November, which was one of the reasons that Jasper had chosen it in the first place as he had known that they would be able to get out and explore the city and not have to stay in the hotel and wait for night.

Once the two of them had gone through customs with no problem thanks to the fact that Jasper spoke perfect Dutch and had forged Bella a visa as she already had a passport and other things that she needed in order to visit a foreign country Bella asked, "So where to now?"

"Well first I thought we would check into the hotel," Jasper replied.

"And what is the name of this hotel?" asked Bella who had left all the arrangements to Jasper.

"Sofitel The Grand," Jasper replied. "It has several features that you'll find very interesting."

"Such as?" asked Bella.

"Well for one thing there is a butler service that is part of the price they are to unpack and pack suitcase among other duties."

"I can unpack my own suitcase and do it much faster than some human butler," Bella replied unimpressed.

Jasper suppressed a laugh as he could have predicted that Bella was going to say that as he knew that she was used to taking care of herself and just over two years as a vampire was not going to change it.

"There is also a hotel tour that is done daily," Jasper said. "The Grand has a lot of history that I'm sure you'd like to learn about. They also have a library and I'm sure you'd like to get in there and look at the books."

"Definitely!" Bella said as she loved to read and read just about anything really except sci-fi mostly anyway. "I'm sure the books are in Dutch and I can't read Dutch," Bella realize looking disappointed.

"I'm sure they have a few books in English as well as a lot of the people of Amsterdam speak it and I'm sure they have a lot of guests that speak it as well."

"Okay what else?" asked Bella.

"They also have a horse and carriage we can take a course through the historic inner-city and I thought you might be interested in doing that."

"But aren't animals afraid of us?" asked Bella. "We are higher-up on the food chain after all and animals sense that."

"While this is true I can use my talent so that they aren't afraid of us," Jasper replied.

"That sounds really nice," Bella said. "I'd love to do that while we're here if it all possible."

"Then we shall," Jasper promised. "They also have bike tours that I thought we could rent two and use them to explore the streets that cars won't fit in."

"Sounds like fun," Bella said, "and it isn't like we can get tired or out of breath or sweaty."

"They also have boat tours, but that one is kind of going to have to be at a moment's notice as we have no idea when it's going to be sunny out or cloudy or rainy."

"I would love to do that if we can make it," Bella said, "but if we can't then oh well maybe next time we come."

"Also there are plenty of other attractions around the hotel and further out," Jasper said. "There is Anne Frank house for one thing and for that I did book our tickets in advance as it supposed to be cloudy and a little rainy that day."

"The same Anne Frank who's diary I read as a teenager?"

"Yes the same Anne Frank," Jasper replied. "She and her family lived here in the Netherlands if you remember and I thought that you would be interested in seeing where she went into hiding during the Nazi occupation in World War II."

"I would, you know me so well, Jasper and what interests me," Bella told him.

"Well I'm interested to as I was around during World War II to you know," Jasper replied. "I had escaped from Maria at that point, but hadn't joined yet joined the Cullens."

They arrived at The Grand and Jasper opened the cab door for his wife and paid the driver who didn't seem to speak English only Dutch, which Bella thought put the tourists who only spoke English at a serious disadvantage when looking to from wherever they were.

They entered the doors and headed to the check-in desk to register.

It wasn't more than a few minutes later that they were led up to one of the prestige suites which happened to be the most expensive suites in the hotel which didn't surprise Bella a bit as it was just like Jasper to go all out.

"Kan ik, uitpakken, uw zakken meneer? Ma'am?" asked the butler in Dutch who had arrived just as they had walked in the door. Jasper nodded and Bella didn't say anything and tried not to look disapproving. (Can I, unpack your bags, sir? Ma'am?)

"Ready to see some of the sites?" Jasper asked Bella.

"Yes," Bella replied wondering if it was a good idea to leave the butler alone in their room with no one there. It wasn't that there was anything incriminating in their suitcases but it did have several expensive pieces of jewelry that she would hate to have stolen. She just didn't have any faith in the honesty of human nature since so many of them turned out bad in one way or another.

"Quit worrying," Jasper whispered his voice low enough that the butler wasn't even aware that Jasper had spoken. "I doubt he would still be working here if he was a thief as the people who stay here are bound complain if that was so and he would be caught and fired."

"So where to?" asked Bella changing the subject.

"I thought we could just walk around the streets right now and see what there is to see," Jasper replied, "and if there's any shops we could go in and look around."

"Is it supposed to be rainy or cloudy all day?" asked Bella.

"Yes, it is, although we will still have to keep our eye on the sky as conditions can change in just a few minutes."

"It's a good thing we grabbed raincoats before leaving the room then," Bella said. "I know we don't really need them, but the humans would think we were pretty weird not to have on raincoats if it's raining even if it's just drizzling."

"That's why we must always remember to act as human as possible when around humans," Jasper said as they exited the hotel so they could just walk the streets and look around.

Despite the rainy weather Jasper and Bella kept their sunglasses on as neither felt like wearing contacts unless they absolutely had to. The people on the street gave them a few strange looks for wearing sunglasses when it was drizzling and cloudy out, but chalked it down to the fact that they were foreigners and a lot of foreigners were just weird.

The two of them wandered through the streets just looking at all the buildings and the shops that were all within just a few blocks of the hotel that Jasper had chosen for them to stay at.

"This is really nice, Jasper," Bella said as the two of them walked hand-in-hand through the little curvy streets.

"Yes it is and just what we needed after the last couple years," Jasper replied as he gave Bella's hand a squeeze.

The two of them continued to walk in silence although the silence between them was not uncomfortable, as they were very comfortable with each other and therefore it was the kind of silence that comes when you have known each other for a long time and know that you don't need to fill up the quiet with words in order to be understood.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

By the time they got back at the hotel it was several hours later and when they entered their room the butler was long gone and Bella was relieved to discover that everything was still there and all their stuff was unpacked and neatly put away.

"So when are we going to move to Moscow?" Bella asked out of the blue.

"As soon as we get back from our delayed honeymoon," Jasper replied. "I've already bought us a place."

"Bought?" asked Bella truly startled. "Why did you buy a house? Why not just rent an apartment or something?"

"Because all three of us need our space and there is no way that an apartment would have enough room for us to live together for years in," Jasper replied. "Melissa needs a room where she can paint, and you need a library and so do I. Russia doesn't really run to houses anyway so I bought us the next closest thing and that is a penthouse in an apartment building. It has six bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, living room, kitchen and is over 690 square meters or 2263 feet, which is pretty big for an apartment even a penthouse. Also since I bought it we won't have to worry about a landlord snooping or figuring out something they shouldn't."

"I hadn't thought about the possibility of a snooping landlord, but you're right that this guarantees us our privacy," Bella admitted.

"Exactly. Anyway, not to change the subject, but Melissa wants to see if she can sell some of her paintings," Jasper said as he had just talked to Melissa the other day. "I think we can arrange that as I think she's very good at what she does and she just needs to get her paintings noticed."

"She has improved, almost beyond recognition actually," Bella replied. "But she does have a vampire's eyesight now."

"A vampire's eyesight wouldn't have helped if she hadn't already had the talent," Jasper told Bella. "If she had remained human I have a feeling she would have eventually become a great artist although it would have taken years in order to reach her full potential."

"But isn't selling paintings kind of dangerous for our kind, doesn't it bring attention we don't need?" Bella asked bringing up the concern Rosalie had mentioned months ago.

"Not really so long as she doesn't sign her real name and keeps in the background," Jasper replied. "Artists are supposed to be mysterious and Melissa just has to do a little acting whenever she has a show and no one will ever know that she isn't human. I would not allow Melissa to sell any paintings if I thought that it would put us in danger. Besides there's no reason for anybody to know where she actually lives as an artist has just as much right to their privacy as anybody else."

"You're right," Bella said, "and it does give her something to do to keep occupied and happy."

"What I'm really worried about is the fact that she can't paint for more then 30 or 40 years tops before she has to wait for at least 100 or 150 years before she can paint again. Also there is the fact that she won't be able to do shows after a few years as humans will begin to notice that she isn't aging at all."

"What about the use of makeup like they do in the movies to make someone look older or younger than they really are?" Bella suggested.

"That's a possibility I hadn't considered," Jasper admitted. "That might be possible, but makeup can come off so Melissa would have to be really careful about not getting under hot lights or other things that cause makeup to run."

"The actors use the same kind of makeup that doesn't run and they have to be under very hot lights to a lot of times," Bella pointed out.

"We'll have to look into that," Jasper said. "But even if Melissa continues doing shows after a certain number of years she's going to have to wait for at least 100 or 150 years before she can start painting again as I said before. She'll also have to change her style as the brush strokes of a painting are very distinctive and an expert can tell if it is done by the same artist."

"Why out of all the things that Melissa could be good at why does it have to be something like painting, which can be identified as the same artist by experts even if she didn't paint for 300 years?"

"I've often thought that fate has a weird sense of humor if it actually exists that is," Jasper said with an ironic chuckle. "Now my mate, I have plans for us that don't include discussing Melissa's painting ability."

"You're the one that brought it up," Bella pointed out.

"So I did," Jasper said, "but now I'm getting off the subject as I have other plans for us."

"Race you to the bedroom," Bella said as she stripped out of her clothes at vampire speed and just beat Jasper to the bedroom as he was so surprised at her actions.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

"You little minx," Jasper scolded playfully wagging a finger at her as they lay in bed an indeterminate time later in the afterglow of having just fucked each other senseless multiple times and were now just holding each other.

Bella gazed at him trying to appear as if she had no idea what Jasper was talking about although the twinkle in her red eyes gave her away. Jasper was referring to the fact that she had not only surprised him by not pretending to know what he was talking about by saying that he had plans for them that didn't include discussing Melissa, but by what she had done to him as soon as they were in the bed.

She had brought Jasper such spasms and as yet untold heights of pleasure that both of them were still reeling from their orgasms and no it hadn't been just one orgasm or climax but at least a dozen each as they had been making love for hours, but were for the moment anyway finally sated.

"I don't know what has gotten into you, but I'd be stupid to complain now wouldn't I?" asked Jasper rhetorically with a smug smile thinking what a lucky son of a bitch he was.

"You would," Bella agreed as she gently stroked Jasper's chest with her thumb running it all up and down it causing him to shiver at the sensation, "and I know that your mama didn't raise any stupid children."

"No ma'am, my momma didn't raise no stupid children," Jasper said in his thick southern accent smirking. "I am not about to complain when you bring me to at least a dozen climaxes if not more in a matter of hours. Those climaxes were so powerful that I don't think I can move very much at the moment as I've lost the feeling in most of my body."

"You enjoyed yourself then?" Bella asked as she gazed at her mate with a smirk already knowing the answer, but wanting to hear it from his lips.

"You shouldn't even have to ask me that as you know very well I enjoyed myself and you're welcome to do anything you want to me for as long as you please," Jasper said as he leaned down just enough to kiss the top of Bella's head that was laying on his chest.

"Good," Bella said with a sigh as she absently drew patterns on Jasper's stomach. "I enjoyed myself to as I'm sure you are aware."

"I was, although it's nice to hear the words and not just feel the emotions," said Jasper as he started rubbing soothing circles on Bella's back causing her to sigh in contentment.

"So what now?" asked Bella. "We didn't come to Amsterdam just to spend all day in bed and as much as I have enjoyed it we came to see the sights and explore the city."

"You have to admit it is nice to be able to do whatever the hell we please without the rest of the family making comments or cutting into our time alone. We could spend the next week or two in bed if we really wanted to so long as we emerged every once in a while so the hotel staff wouldn't become to worried about us if they didn't see us."

"Yes, yes it is," Bella said slowly after thinking about it for a moment. "No Peter to make one of his comments, although the way Charlotte always slaps him on the back of the head is always funny, no Melissa feeling as if we are abandoning her... Don't get me wrong I love our family, but time alone can be so scarce when you have to consider the needs of others, Melissa especially since she is the only single vampire in the house."

"Very true," said Jasper with a sigh. "With other's around we can't just spend all our time in bed as much as we might want to."

"So what is there to see and do in Amsterdam?" asked Bella.

"Well, Amsterdam does happen to be the place to by diamonds you know," Jasper said knowing what Bella's response to that was going to be.

"I don't need things, Jasper," Bella told him with a roll of her red eyes.

"But I enjoy giving them to you," Jasper told her with a smile. "I thought you had stopped complaining when I wanted to buy you things."

"And I have—mostly," Bella replied. "All I really need to be happy is you and our family."

"And you have me, heart and soul," Jasper assured her softly, tenderly kissing her forehead again.

"I know," Bella said softly giving him a tender, sweet, loving kiss on the lips.

Once they broke the kiss Jasper closed his eyes and just held his mate close to him tenderly stroking a hand through her soft brown curls.

"To answer your earlier question there are dozens of museums including the Van Gogh, which specializes in paintings by him, churches, monuments, several bridges, the royal palace and lots of other things to see and do. There is no way we'll get a chance to see it all on this trip for we could spend the next year maybe more seeing everything just in this city alone and that doesn't include the rest of the netherlands. Also we will have to ride bicycles a lot of places or walk as there just aren't that many cars in Amsterdam and some of the streets aren't wide enough for them in any case."

"Sounds like fun," Bella said not really worried about having to ride a bike even though she didn't remember learning as a child since vampires had a perfect sense of balance and that should help her get the hang of it quickly. "So where are we going next after this?"

"Well, you did say you wanted to go to Cancun, so I thought we'd go there next and then we'll see."

"We should see some of this part of the world while we are here," Bella said. "Cancun is all the way in Mexico and we can do it another time."

"Oh I wouldn't worry about that, we will be coming back a lot over the next few centuries," Jasper assured her. "Why only visit a place once, when you can visit as many times as you like?"

"True," admitted Bella. "Shouldn't we be getting dressed and going to do that then? Besides I don't know about you, but I need to eat."

"I could eat as well," Jasper admitted as he rose from the bed starting to get dressed as Bella did the same.

"Amsterdam watch out here we come!" Bella exclaimed as she finished getting into her clothes a few seconds later.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

"Come along, Bella, I have a surprise for you," Jasper said with a smug grin that just Bella wild with desire.

"What's the surprise?" asked Bella her curiosity killing her.

"It wouldn't be very much of a surprise now if I told you would it?" asked Jasper with a wink in his wife's direction as he led her out of the hotel room and down to the lobby.

"Jasper!" Bella exclaimed in exasperation. Jasper was always trying to surprise her and sometimes it drove her insane, but in a good way.

Jasper just grinned smugly and led Bella down to where the Singel canal was as the two of them were about to take a ride in one of the boats.

"We are about to take a boat ride and the destination is a surprise," Jasper said as he helped his wife onto the gondolier type boat. "I've hired this transportation for the whole day."

Bella sat down in the boat not bothering to protest at the expense since riding in a boat amongst the canals of Amsterdam had to one of the most romantic things she had ever heard of. Besides spending time just like all young lovers riding in a boat with just the man Jasper had hired rowing it caused Bella to relax like she hadn't been able to do anytime she was surrounded by dozens if not hundreds of humans as she always had to be on her guard so she didn't attack a human in plain sight.

"This is really nice, Jasper," Bella told him. "Just you and me and our boatman, it is so romantic."

"That was the point," Jasper told her kissing her on the cheek.

"Waar kan ik nemen u meneer, mevrouw?" asked the boatman in Dutch. (Where can I take you Sir, Madam?)

"Aan de Bloemenmarkt, als het u belieft, sir," Jasper replied. (To the flower market, if you please, sir.)

"Ja, meneer. U gaat kopen uw vrouw sommige bloemen. Ja?" asked the boatman. (Yes, Sir. You are going to buy your wife some flowers. Yes?)

"Eigenlijk, ik ben van plan om te kopen haar genoeg bloemen om te vullen onze gehele suite in het hotel dat zijn we het verblijf in. Mijn Bella, houdt van bloemen van alle soorten, hoewel haar favorieten zijn rozen, tulpen en lelies," Jasper replied with a smirk in his wife's direction knowing she couldn't understand what was being said since Bella didn't speak Dutch. Jasper didn't expect that to last to long though, since she was rapidly picking up French, and he was sure that Bella would rapidly pick up Dutch as well. Jasper was sure that any other language Bella chose to learn would be picked up quickly as Bella didn't like not understanding what was being said around her, not that he could blame her. (Actually, I plan to buy her enough flowers to fill our entire suite at the hotel we are staying at. My Bella, loves flowers of all kinds, even though her favorites are roses, tulips and lilies.)

"Dat is zo romantisch! Ik weet zeker dat je vrouw zullen waarderen uw bedachtzaamheid," the boatman sighed thinking of his own wife and how he loved to spoil her. "Holland is heel beroemd voor tulpen, zoals ik weet zeker dat je weet." (That's so romantic! I'm sure your wife will appreciate your thoughtfulness. Holland is quite famous for tulips, as I'm sure you know.)

"Je hebt gelijk over dat ik zal worden beloond voor mijn bedachtzaamheid, hoewel dat is niet waarom ik doe het. Ja, ik ook doen, weet dat Nederland is beroemd om haar tulpen en diamanten in het bijzonder, en dat is een van de redenen ik mijn vrouw hier bracht." Jasper replied with a smirk not bothering to elaborate as he was sure their guid got the idea. (You're right about that and yes, I know Holland is famous for it's tulips and diamonds in particular and that's one of the reasons I brought my wife here.)

"Dus, hoe lang hebben u en uw vrouw, getrouwd geweest?" asked the boatman, curiosity just radiating off him, not seeming to sense that they were at all different. (So, how long have you and your wife, been married?)

"Meer dan twee jaar," Jasper replied, simply. (More than two years.)

"Ah! Dan twee bent u nog steeds jonggehuwden en nog steeds in de greep van eerste liefde!" the boatman exclaimed. (Ah! Than two are you still newlyweds and still in the throes of first love!)

"Ja, we zijn," Jasper replied simply not bothering to tell their guide he and Bella would always be in the throes of first love as thanks to the mating bond a vampire never fell out of love and it would always be just like the first time no matter how long they were together. (Yes, we are.)

"Jasper, what are you two saying?" asked Bella with a raised eyebrow not having understood a word of the conversation since she didn't speak even one word of Dutch.

"I was just giving him our destination and he asked how long we had been married," Jasper replied mostly truthfully although he didn't tell her where that destination was, nor was he about to.

"I am so going to have to learn Dutch," Bella muttered not liking it one bit to be left out of the conversation that was taking place right in front of her, just because she couldn't understand what was being said.

"We'll buy you some language CDs on various languages as soon as we settle in Russia," Jasper promised her easily. "We might have to order them off Amazon and have them delivered, but soon you will be understanding not just French, but Spanish and a lot of other languages as well."

"Good," said Bella settling back into Jasper's arms quite content just to be near him and enjoy looking out at all the buildings and boats they passed. Luckily for them it was supposed to be cloudy all day as well as a little rainy so they shouldn't have to worry about sparkling in the sunlight, although they would of course have to keep one eye on the sky just in case.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

"Wij zijn hier, meneer, mevrouw. Ik wacht hier voor u om terug te keren," the boatman said as he pulled the gondola up close to their destination so that the two of them could diembark. (We are here, Sir, Madam. I'll wait here for you to return.)

"Bedankt," Jasper replied handing the boatman €20 which was about 27 American dollars before climbing out of the boat and then holding his hand out for his wife to grab hold of, so she to could exit. It wasn't that Bella needed help to disembark the gondola, but Jasper had been taught to always help a lady and that definitely applied when that lady was your wife. (Thanks.)

"Graag gedaan," The boatman replied. (You are welcome.)

"So where exactly all we?" asked Bella as she and Jasper begin to walk hand in hand on what really was a floating platform on the water.

"We're at the Bloemenmarkt or the flower market, which is quite famous in Holland, although you do have to watch out for some of the merchants who will cheat you in one way or another if you aren't careful," Jasper replied and prepared himself for his wife's excited reaction, which came almost instantly. Bella flung herself into her husband's arms and began to kiss him all over his face rapidly, while murmuring softly, "Thank you, thank you, thank you. You knew I missed my flowers didn't you, even if I never said anything?"

"Yes, I did," Jasper admitted. "I knew you loved all types of flowers since you told me before you were changed and I sensed, I guess, you could say that you missed them, even though you never said that you did. I'm afraid I've never been a flower person myself and I wasn't at that place outside of Billings enough—or any of the places I own for that matter—to even think of maintaining some type of garden, even if the dirt of the desert would let anything grow without constant attention."

"Thank you, Jasper, this was such a nice gesture," Bella said sincerely retaking his hand in hers and giving it a squeeze. "You spoil me and you not only know it, but enjoy doing it."

Jasper sniggered at that as Bella was spot on for he did indeed enjoy spoiling his mate as much as possible even though Bella kept telling him that it was not necessary. "You know me to well, love," Jasper told her.

"Indeed I do," Bella said softly giving his hand a loving squeeze.

The two of them walked into the flower market hand in hand and were immediately surrounded by a profusion of various colors in about every known species of flower imaginable. Also with so many thousands of flowers in such a small space made the scent almost overwhelming for two vampires.

"Oh, Jasper this is so lovely," Bella said sounding enthused as she looked around while the two of them walked slowly looking at all stalls with beautiful arrangements of thousands of different flowers in every color of the rainbow. "You were right as usual, I missed this, I just didn't realise how much until now."

"You are very welcome," Jasper said feeling how happy and content his mate was, which also made him happy. "It is after all my job to anticipate your needs, whether you realize those needs consciously or not."

"And you are very good at doing that," Bella told him leaning over to give him a kiss on the cheek as hundreds of humans streamed around them not paying attention to the two young people who were very much in love with each other.

The two of them continued to walk through the market and Jasper paid attention to what flowers Bella liked the most and made a mental note of them.

After over an hour of them strolling through the market Jasper began to wonder how he was going to get away from Bella long enough to make the arrangements for buying enough flowers to fill the hotel suite when Bella herself provided him his chance.

"Do you mind if I go look over there," said Bella looking at the stand that sold souvenirs of all types.

"No, of course not. Why you go and do that while I think I'll look down that way and see what else they have," Jasper said coming up with an excuse quickly to leave Bella's side for a few minutes.

"Okay," Bella replied not seeming at all disturbed that Jasper was going to leave her side if only because she knew that he would never abandon her.

"I'll meet you back here in 20 minutes," Jasper told her giving her a gentle kiss on the cheek.

Jasper left quickly before Bella could ask him where he was going and headed down in the opposite direction from where he really wanted to go, but he had to get out of Bella's sight before he could work his way around to the flower stalls. Sometimes surprising his wife was damn difficult as it was very hard to keep secrets from one's mate even if those secrets were good ones. Jasper knew very well that if Bella hadn't been so distracted he never could've gotten away from her long enough to order those flowers for their hotel room. By the time he was done just 15 minutes later he had bought what seemed like a whole truckload of various flowers to put in their hotel suite. He knew that Bella would be surprised and then so pleased that he had done this for his Bella truly loved flowers. In fact Jasper had never met another woman that loved flowers as much as his wife did. Not that here was anything wrong with loving flowers and in fact Bella had told him that she used to go to the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix before she had gone to college even though it was all desert plants and flowers. She had also gone to several of the ones in New York where she had gone to college when she had had the time as just being surrounded by so much beauty had helped her to relax from all the stress she had been under.

"Ready to go, love," asked Jasper as he arrived back at where he had left Bella.

"More than ready," Bella said taking his hand. "Find anything down there?"

"Nothing that would interest us," Jasper replied truthfully. "So are you ready to head out and go to our next destination?"

"Where is our next destination?" asked Bella curiosity radiating from her.

"It's a surprise," Jasper said and then snickered at Bella's put out expression.

"You and your surprises," Bella said shaking her head. "Well then, lead me to the surprise."

"Gladly," Jasper said taking her hand and the two of them immediately started to make their way back though the stalls to the waiting gondola.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

Many hours later Jasper and Bella arrived back at the hotel room and Jasper immediately noted that the flowers he had ordered had been delivered while they were absent.

"Where did all these flowers come from?" asked Bella as she went over to smell and look at the many baskets of different flowers that practically took over the hotel suite and filled the air with a practically overpowering scent, overpowering especially for two vampires with their extra keen senses of smell. "You did this, didn't you?" asked Bella as the clues just suddenly clicked together in her mind. "You are the one who bought me all these flowers and had them delivered while we were out."

"Guilty," Jasper admitted sheepishly not looking at all upset that Bella had figured him out as he wanted her to know that the flowers were from him as no one else, should be sending her flowers at all.

"Jasper!" Bella scolded. "All these flowers must have cost you thousands of dollars! You have got to stop spoiling me like this! It's not that I don't appreciate it..."

"Bella," Jasper said softly, but in a tone of authority that stopped Bella in mid-rant. Jasper approached her and put his hands on her shoulders looking directly into her red eyes, before he continued, "I don't know how many times I have had to tell you this, but listen well. The...money...doesn't...matter. I know you had little money growing up, and I know it is part of your makeup to be conservative when it comes to spending, but you have got to stop protesting every time I give you a present or surprise you. For one thing we have money to burn and for another I enjoy making you happy. Yes I know you have always said that you don't need things in order to be happy, but that doesn't mean either one of us should only buy things we need. We should buy things that we want as well and that will give us pleasure as why should we live like monks, when a vampire's life is hard enough?"

Bella listened to Jasper's words without speaking and knew he was right, but something always made her want to protest anytime Jasper did something to spoil her. Over the last few years she had mostly gotten over the need to protest every time Jasper bought her something, but sometimes she just couldn't stop herself from saying anything. It was probably because deep down she felt as if she wasn't worthy of Jasper or the gifts he kept showering on her.

"I thought you had gotten over the need to protest whenever I gave you a gift," Jasper added. "You haven't protested in over a year when I have given you something."

"I have—mostly," Bella said. "You just shower me with so many ultraexpensive presents that I can't help myself sometimes."

"I think I know what the problem is," Jasper said slowly taking a step back to give Bella some space as he studied the emotions that she was feeling. "You feel unworthy of being loved so completely. You try to not think about it, but sometimes can't help it. You think you are not gorgeous enough for someone like me and can't understand what I see in someone as plain as you believe yourself to be, which is ridiculous and utter crap. You know I love you, but can't understand why as you think you are unworthy of being loved. You believe bond notwithstanding that I will eventually leave you to find someone more worthy then you believe yourself to be and you are trying to prepare yourself for it, which is not only ridiculous, but impossible by the way."

Jasper tried not to be upset at the information he was getting from Bella's emotions although part of it was guesswork he was at least 90% sure he was right.

"Did you just read my mind?" Bella joked although it was obvious she was shaken at Jasper's description that was right on the mark.

The shaken tone in Bella's voice let Jasper know that he had hit the bullseye in guessing what Bella was thinking.

"No, I am reading your emotions and the rest is experience and eliminating the possibilities. The only reason I am so accurate in figuring out what you were thinking is that I know you so well. If I didn't it would be much harder to figure out what you were thinking, even with your emotions so strong and easy to read. I know at least partly where these doubts come from and how you had to raise yourself as a child. If your mother had bothered to be involved in your upbringing I'm sure you would have more confidence in the fact that you are a very desirable woman and wouldn't be so worried about me looking for a better prospect, because Bella let me tell you now the way you see yourself is so jaded as to be totally out of the realm of reality."

"I know," Bella admitted quietly. "I know you love me and that we are still going to be together centuries from now, but sometimes I can't help this little niggling voice in the back of my head that keeps telling me that I am nothing and that I don't deserve someone as nice, generous and handsome as you. I know it isn't true, but just sometimes that niggling voice makes me doubt and overcomes my common sense. I apologize for that, but you know what the ironic thing is as well as being pathetic and a little sad?"

"What's that?" asked Jasper calming down a little.

"That little niggling voice sounds just like my mother. Mostly I can block her out, but the voice is always there just waiting to strike."

"Well, whenever that little niggling voice starts bothering you just tell it to shut up and then come see me. I promise you that I will keep you so occupied that that little niggling voice won't have time to make you doubt your worthiness of being loved."

"I have never doubted your love for me despite the voice of doubt in my head that always seems to be whispering insidiously into my mind that you can't possibly love me as I am not beautiful or talented enough, well you get the idea...and that you will eventually tire of me and go find someone else worthier of your time and attention. I try to listen to my heart instead of my head when that voice starts spewing its poison, but sometimes that doesn't help, like today."

"What does your heart tell you?" Jasper asked gently putting an arm around his wife's and kissing her forehead.

"That your love for me is true and that you would never leave me," Bella replied. "Also that you shower me with gifts because you do love me and that this is one of your ways of showing that love for me."

"Listen to your heart then," Jasper told her gently, his anger leaving him completely.

"I do," Bella assured him kissing him softly on the lips, "and most of the time I am able to ignore that insidious little voice in my head, but sometimes it gets the better of me, like now."

"If I could I would torture that woman who had your blood even longer then we did," Jasper said furiously. "If not for her neglect..."

"I know, but even we can't bring the deceased back to life, so there is no point of dwelling on it," Bella interrupted Jasper in midsentence. She gave him a kiss and added, "I love you and no niggling little voice in my head is going to convince me otherwise, I assure you."

"Good," said Jasper picking his wife up and carrying her over to the couch, putting her gently down on it and then laying on top of her. "We've never done it on a couch before."

"Then why don't we test it out?" Bella suggested with a seductive purr that caused Jasper's eyes to instantly go black with lust and desire.

The couch in question was one of those expensive plush, supple leather deals that was a warm golden brown in color and Bella could honestly say that is was quite comfortable since she was laying on it.

Jasper removed his shoes, then his jeans, his blue silk shirt and finally the underwear he was wearing. He removed all his clothes slowly as a way to torture Bella for it was obvious that the more of his clothes he removed the more she began to desire him, until finally her eyes were completely black and the smell of her arousal permeated the air.

Once Jasper had gotten rid of the restriction of his underwear the general sprang to attention already engorged with his cum more than ready to enter into a place it considered home and that was his mate's crowning glory—her pussy.

"Ah! There's my favorite part of your body and I see the general is ready for action, just like always," Bella purred gazing at Jasper's cock like it was the greatest thing she had ever laid eyes on.

"And I believe you know what my favorite part of your body is," Jasper purred in return then added teasingly. "I shouldn't need to spell it out for you as you have always been very intelligent."

"You're right, you don't need to spell it out for me as I know perfectly well what you are talking about," Bella said in her most seductive tone of voice. "I believe, unless I am very much mistaken, that we both like the same things about each others bodies."

"No, you are not mistaken as of course you are correct, as always," Jasper said as he slowly laid down on top of Bella again.

"I just love every part of your body, although my favorite is of course what we were just talking about a second ago and that is your pussy, which is of course, in my humble opinion, your crowning glory," Jasper said as he allowed his fingers to run lightly all up and down every part of his mate's body that he could reach from his current position. "Of course, just so you know, although your pussy is at the very top of my absolutely favorite part of your body list I also love your breasts, which are just the right size to fit into my hands comfortably. Next on my list of favorite parts of your body is your neck which is long and slender, with soft, silky skin and has added benefit of having my mating mark—the mark that made you mine."

As Jasper was talking he let his fingers wander to each part he mentioned that he loved about his Bella and by the time he was done he had mentioned every single part of her body and what he loved about each one.

"So, in other words you love me from the top of my head to the bottom of my feet and every thing in between," Bella said her voice coming out raspy since Jasper's treatment had effected every single part of her body and made her tingle all over. In fact at the moment she felt something like a live wire although she was sure that feeling would get even at least three times as strong once Jasper really got started and quit just playing around.

"That about covers it," Jasper admitted not looking at all sheepish as he really did love every single part of his wife's body even if he did have particular favorites.

"You are something else," Bella told him, her voice still kind of raspy, but full of admiration, which made Jasper preen just a little. "In just a few minutes you have managed to get rid of that niggling little voice of doubt—at least for now."

"That was my intention to begin with," Jasper admitted, "or at least one of them."

"And what was your other intentions?" asked Bella with a raised eyebrow.

"Why to make love to my beautiful, sexy wife, what else?" Jasper replied with a smirk his voice oozing confidence.

"Of course," Bella giggled not really having been expecting anything else as she knew Jasper very well. "Well then, why don't you get started?" Bella suggested with a seductive wink admitting if only to herself that Jasper's confidence in this case was justified.

"Your wish is my command, my lady," Jasper assured her as he began teasing her nipple with his mouth slowly.

Bella knew with that gesture alone that Jasper was going to take his time and they would be making love for the rest of the day and would probably have at least half a dozen orgasms apiece if not more.

One of the great things about being a vampire was that you could make love all day and not be sore afterwards. Bella remembered that when she had been human and she had had too much sex in a short period of time that she could barely walk afterwards, but thankfully that was no longer a problem.

Jasper continued suck on Bella's left nipple before switching to the right one and giving it the same treatment. Once he was satisfied and both nipples were little peaks Jasper started on his mate's left breast using his tongue to go around it slowly starting from the top and slowly making his way down to the bottom, circling it all the while. Once the left breast was covered in his venom Jasper switched to the right one and gave me the exact same treatment. The great thing about a vampire's venom was that it didn't sting unless it was an open wound that needed healing.

Slowly, ever so slowly, Jasper put his face into the valley between her breast and took a deep sniff. Bella's smell, especially when aroused absolutely delighted him as her scent changed quite a bit and was more alluring and somehow sexier.

"Have I ever told you that you smell absolutely delectable and that I could breathe in your scent for days or even years and live off that alone?" asked Jasper rhetorically as he knew that he had said that to his mate before since vampires had perfect recall. "And did you know that your scent is quite different when you're aroused then when you are not?" he added.

"No, I didn't know that," Bella panted grabbing Jasper by his long, curly blond hair in order to get some leverage to increase the delightful friction Jasper was causing with his tongue and hands. "Believe me I am ecstatic that you like the way I smell as I like the way you smell too, now that you mention it, even though I never consciously noticed it before. Your scent is quite different when you are aroused and is much different from the way you normally smell."

Jasper's hands began moving again as did his mouth as he used both of them to trace every single part of mate's delightful body. As Jasper's mouth was kissing and licking it's way down to his Bella's belly button that he happily stuck his venom coated tongue in causing Bella to arch her back and almost scream his name. As Jasper's tongue was happily exploring Bella's belly button one of his hands was slowly holding the folds of his wife's pussy apart while using the other one to rub hard circles on her clit with just one finger causing her resulting orgasm to be so powerful that Bella screamed loud enough to be heard halfway across the city, or it at least she would have been if Jasper hadn't moved at vampire speed and covered his mate's mouth with his own.

"Jasper!" Bella screamed although it came out considerably muffled thanks to Jasper's mouth over hers. As much as Jasper would have liked to hear his wife scream his name at full volume they were in a hotel suite and the walls were not that thick. They didn't need some hotel employee coming up here just to see if something was wrong

"Whoah!" Bella panted as soon as she had come down from or climax sometime later.

"Did you like that, my mate?" asked Jasper somewhat rhetorically as he could tell just from her emotions alone that she had indeed more than liked it, but he wanted her to put voice to her feelings as he was always seeking his mate's opinion on most things as he wanted her to know that he thought of her as his equal and not inferior in anyway.

"I'll say!" Bella exclaimed leaning up just enough to kiss Jasper on the lips, before allowing her head to rest back on the cushions of the sofa.

"We both need to go hunting," said Jasper after a few minutes of silence.

"Alright," Bella agreed easily as she knew Jasper was right, "but I need a shower first since you did coat me breasts with venom and then we can go."

"I'll join you," Jasper said immediately.

"You are of course welcome," Bella assured him. "So where are we going to hunt?"

"Amsterdam has a red light distract that is filled with prostitutes and other useless members of society, like drug dealers and such. In fact we passed it on our tour along the Senegal earlier today."

"Okay, sounds like a fine place to hunt ourselves up some dinner," Bella agreed easily.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

"Well let's go hunting, shall we?" said Bella as soon as she and Jasper had gotten off the tram that had brought them here ignoring the stares of the humans that she was sure were wondering why two such nicely dressed tourist would want to get off here in this less then legal district of the city.

Let them wonder, Bella thought somewhat scornfully, which was normally very unlike her, but she got so tired of the stares sometimes that the humans believed no one noticed, even though you would have to be as unobservant as a paving stone to not notice people staring at you. Besides it was certainly no humans business what they were doing being let off here and in fact those humans were damned lucky that she and Jasper only hunted criminals or some of them could very well find themselves drained of their blood in order to make a meal for one of them.

Normally she didn't pay much attention, to humans who thought they hid their real thoughts, behind polite smiles, but Bella could tell, at least most of the time what humans were really thinking as their body language gave them away and thanks to her mate she could read most humans body language easily. Of course there were exceptions to every rule, Jasper had warned her, as some humans had learned how to control their body language so that those had bodily tells were nonexistent.

Jasper didn't reply, just took his wife's hand in his and both of them started just strolling causally looking as if they weren't paying attention to their surroundings, to all but the closest observers, although they were.

Bella's eyes kept roving over the area they walked hand in hand having no trouble seeing into almost completely pitch dark alleys so long as there was at least a little light nearby.

Suddenly Bella spotted something and she let go of Jasper's hand and was gone in a flash Jasper not bothering to follow as Bella was more than capable of taking care of herself and he also had his own dinner to find.

Meanwhile while Jasper was hunting for his own dinner Bella cornered a woman who was dressed like a prostitute and had her hand over the woman's mouth just as she was beginning to scream and had her teeth on the pulse of the neck in less than a split second.

Hmmm, that was absolutely delicious and so pure with no hint of drugs or alcohol in her blood, Bella thought to herself licking her lips as she dropped the woman's body into the darkest part of the alley behind a trash dumpster knowing it was unlikely to be discovered before it began to stink up this section of town, not that this section of town didn't already stink with all the trash in the alleyway that had yet to be picked up. By the time she was discovered the cause of her death would be unidentifiable unless they did a blood test and then it would just be assumed that she had been killed elsewhere. Also what was really a bonus as far as she was concerned was that the police weren't likely to try to hard d the real cause of death considering the woman's profession.

"Done?" asked Jasper not startling Bella at all as she had caught his scent getting closer and closer.

"Yep! I'm still a little hungry though."

"Why don't we go dancing at the club that I spotted just down the block. I'm sure we can find you and me both other prospects for dinner while we dance the night away," Jasper suggested.

"Great idea," said Bella enthusiastically flinging her arms around Jasper's neck and giving him a heartfelt kiss in thanks for the suggestion. "We've only been dancing once just a couple of weeks ago, in Paris, but this time we don't have Melissa to worry about."

"We will be going dancing much more often now that I know you can be around crowds with little trouble," Jasper promised. "Besides any excuse to put my arms around you is always good," he added his tone serious although he did have a twinkle in his bloodred eyes.

"You don't really need any excuse to put your arms around me, you know," Bella told him with laughter in her voice as well as her eyes.

"I know," Jasper admitted not looking the least sheepish that he had been seen through so easily.

"You are of course welcome to keep me in your arms as much and for as long as you like and I promise you I will not only not object, but be exceedingly happy to remain there," Bella told him kissing his nose.

Jasper sighed and the two of them left the alley hand in hand after checking for human heartbeats nearby just to make sure that no one was close enough to observe them and headed for the club Jasper had seen down the block.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

"This is nice, Jasper," Bella commented in a normal tone of voice as there was no way that any of the humans would have been able to understand her words with the pulse of loud music in the background and the loud sound of hundreds, if not thousands of human voices. The club was jam-packed so much that despite being in the red light distract there was actually a bouncer at the door who was letting people in a few at a time.

"Being around all these human heartbeats isn't bothering you?" asked Jasper in concern as even the club in Paris hadn't been this packed with human bodies.

"Well a little," Bella admitted honestly, "but I believe that is only because I am still thirsty and that once I really fill up I won't have any further problems or at least until I need to feed again," Bella quickly amended

"You are probably correct," Jasper admitted his admiration for his mate rising a notch, which had already been quite high.

The two of them continued to dance so closely that you couldn't have slipped even a very thin piece of paper between them and Jasper noticed the redhaired man look murderously in his direction, which told Jasper that the man considered him someone to be gotten out of the way so he could have what he wanted, which in this case was his wife.

"Don't look now, but there is this thirtyish looking man with red hair that has been eyeing you for the last fifteen minutes or so," Jasper said. "He's already given me several murderous looks and I know that he wants to get me out of the way so he can hopefully get your attention. He has not taken his eyes off you since he saw you and has been doing everything he can think of to get your attention away from me and onto him, except send up smoke signals or actually approaching you, which will probably happen sometime in the next few minutes if we don't do anything to discourage him."

"I know," Bella admitted, "but after what happened in Paris I've been ignoring him as I wasn't about to have the Major escape his cage for a repeat performance at least not for that reason."

"The Major approves and so do I," Jasper said after a moment as he made sure that the other part of his personality wasn't about to get upset and jealous like he had in Paris, "so long as you are going to make a meal off him that is," he added unnecessarily.

"Oh, I plan to as he has already gotten me very annoyed just because he can't leave us alone," Bella agreed eagerly, which pleased both Jasper and the Major both. Bella paused then a thought just seeming to occur to her. "On second thought, why don't I lure him out to the back alley and let you feed off him instead while I find myself another meal, which I am sure won't be too difficult in a place like this."

"Great idea," Jasper said enthusiastically the Major showing out of his eyes looking at Bella with a proud gaze. The Major was proud for more than one reason, although the main one was that Bella as a relatively new vampire, who was not more than a few years old thought of her mate's feelings and needs before her own, which was almost unheard of. "I'll be happy to drain his life's blood just for the way he has been staring at you so lustfully ever since he first spotted you. You would think it was obvious that you and me are more than just dating considering the way we are dancing so closely together, but that hasn't seemed to affect the way he keeps looking at you as if you are a five course dinner that he would just love to consume."

"He probably thinks that I am a prostitute considering this is a red light district where they abound," Bella commented. "I'm sure he thinks that I am for sale for the right price and that you are just my latest client."

"Boy is he about to find out differently," Jasper chuckled nastily, "as he is about to meet his maker, who I am sure is not going to be happy with him at all."

Normally Jasper was the nicest of men, but anybody lusting after his mate and one who also wouldn't see what was right in front of their eyes immediately got on his shit list of humans that needed to be killed and made a meal for a vampire. Jasper, of course, didn't drain every single man that lusted after his mate as he would be so bloated if he did that he would probably explode. Besides vampires were naturally attractive in order to catch the attention of their prey easier, so there was bound to be some men that were not evil that couldn't help but stare at his wife and those Jasper wouldn't bother to drain. However this was not the case here as this was the red light district, where most of the population was hardly innocent. Jasper was aware that some people came down here in order to have a good time, but just from the redhead man's emotions alone he could tell that he was not one of those innocents as the man was feeling greed, lust, and many other negative emotions and from those alone Jasper knew the man thought he had a right to anything he wanted, including another man's wife. If the man had been truly innocent as soon as he had seen how close Jasper and Bella were he would have turned his attention elsewhere or at least not made it so obvious that he was watching her, hoping for an opportunity to introduce himself. Of course, Jasper would be more that happy to disabuse the man of the idea that he had a right to anything he wanted, whether or not it meant hurting other people or not by taking his life.

"Yes, he is," Bella agreed, giving Jasper a kiss on the lips that held the promise of more to come.

"After we both are full, you and me have a date with the stockroom or at least somewhere semi-private as I want you so bad that if both of didn't need to eat we would be heading back there already."

"Trying to get us arrested, Jasper?" Bella said in an amused tone, knowing that no mere human whether it was the police of this country or not, was going to be able to catch them if they didn't want to be caught. Even if they were caught no mere jail was going to hold them, but if that happened and they escaped they were going to have to leave the country in hurry and Bella for one didn't want that to happen as they would most likely have to leave their plane behind, not to mention all their belongings.

"Not really," Jasper said with an amused smile as if he knew exactly what Bella was thinking, which was more than possible since Bella knew that Jasper was aware of how she thought.

If worst came to worst they could always drain the officers of the law and dispose of the bodies somewhere they would never be found, even if that meant dismembering them and throwing them into the water for the fish to eat as there were plenty of canals that would serve the purpose very well. Bella didn't like thinking about doing stuff like that, but would do it without hesitation in order to protect the secret that vampires were indeed real. It was just a good thing she couldn't sleep anymore or Bella knew that she would have nightmares

In fact come to think of it they were only a short distance from Senegal canal here in the red light district so why not just dispose of the bodies they drained into the water? By the time the bodies from their meals were found—if they ever were—they wouldn't be recognizable as anything, except that they had once been human.

"Besides you well know that any law officer that stops us is nothing but a minor inconvenience," Jasper added.

"Well what do you know, I was just thinking the same thing," Bella said teasingly before she turned serious. "You know what they say, 'great minds think alike'.

"They do indeed," Jasper agreed quickly telling Bella the idea he had come with in order to get the man to follow her out the back door to the alley.

"That's a good plan," Bella said admiringly.

"Thanks," said Jasper, preening a little. "Let's put our plan into action, shall we? Besides the Major is starting to get impatient and as you know that is never a good thing,"

"We shall," Bella agreed immediately, then added, "Here why don't you hold onto my engagement and wedding rings as I hardly think the redhead is going to fall for my act if I am wearing such an expensive wedding ring." Bella took off both rings out of sight of the red haired man and put them into the palm of Jasper's hand, who then slipped them into his pocket circumspectly. Bella kept the Whitlock crest on since while it was noticeable she never took it off and she could always pass it off as a family heirloom or something which wasn't something you could do with a 40,000 dollar engagement ring.

"I'll keep them safe for you," Jasper said taking them, although he also immediately noticed how much it pained Bella to have to take them off at all.

Bella watched as Jasper sauntered off in the direction of the men's room and it wasn't more than thirty seconds later that the redhaired man approached her.

"I thought he would never leave," the man said.

"Oh, you mean my latest client," said Bella pretending she didn't care about Jasper and the only thing that mattered was the money he provided to spend time with her.

"So how much will it cost me to hire you for at least the next couple of hours?" asked the man.

"€500 an hour. Upfront," Bella answered immediately seeing nothing wrong with making a little money off this man before Jasper killed him and she knew that her husband wouldn't have a problem with it either. In fact he would definitely be amused at how she had made a thousand dollars off this guy, when he was going to lose his life sometime in the next half an hour.

"Why don't we dance and discuss it," the redhaired man suggested obviously thinking about the €500 he would have to spend in order to even get an hour in her company.

"Sure," Bella agreed, trying not to let her inner revulsion show at the thought of touching the man's sweaty, smelly skin.

Both her and Jasper were in the habit of taking whatever money was in a human's wallet after they had been drained and they also took every bit of valuable jewelry as well to sell on the black market. It wasn't that she and Jasper didn't have a lot of money, but both of them considered it a kind of poetic justice to take anything of value from their victims who had more than likely hurt a lot of people in their misbegotten lives. What was the point of respecting a person that was already dead, especially considering what sterling members of society they were? Not!

"€500? Isn't that kind of pricy?" asked the man as the two of them began to dance together although Bella made sure to keep him at arms length.

Bella shrugged and replied nonchalantly, "Inflation. A girl's got to make a living and things are more expensive in this century then when our parents or grandparents were born."

"That's about $673 an hour in American dollars," the redhaired man said quickly crunching the numbers in his head, "and for two hours that price doubles."

"Yeah so?" said Bella impressed despite herself that the man had figured that out in his head so fast.

"Well it's just that it's obvious you aren't Dutch and I expected you to ask for American money. Why?" asked Bella in genuine surprise. "Why ask for American dollars when most places in Holland won't take it?"

"A good point," the man admitted leering at Bella, although it was quite clear that more than half his attention was on Bella's breasts that were very obvious though the thin silk of her blouse. "Fine, €500 an hour," the red haired man agreed finally, reaching for his wallet and taking out several tens, twenties and even one fifty.

"May I know the name of the man I will be spending the next couple of hours with," Bella said with a seductive wink knowing very well that Jasper was watching from where he was standing at the bar pretending to sip a drink.

"Matt," the man said.

"And I am Bella," Bella replied with a seductive glance.

"Bella," Matt said with a sickening leer at Bella's breasts and then her legs.

"Well Matt, I'll meet you out in the back alley in five minutes," Bella said snatching the money out of his hand and dropping it down into her bra before she began to walk away.

"Don't you have an apartment?"

"Sure, and I'll take you there as soon as we meet in the back alley," Bella told him her voice a sultry whisper with another wink knowing that the man wouldn't be alive ten minutes from now as Jasper would be on him faster than a striking snake and as hard as a sledgehammer. Bella wouldn't be surprised if the man ended up with most of the bones in his body broken, before he died as Jasper was very protective of her. Bella knew though that Jasper would be careful not to kill him before he drained him as a human's blood was better fresh and while the person was still alive.

"Why not leave together?" asked Matt rather stupidly.

"Why? Because we don't want anybody to see us together, now do we?" Bella explained turning up the charm another notch so Matt would do exactly what she wanted without asking any questions. Matt's eyes started to roll back in his head, his cock which had been at half mass came up to full, standing completely straight and sweat broke out on his forehead.

Oops! Bella thought with an inner smirk, Perhaps that's a little to much charm, making sure to tone it down half a notch.

"I'll meet you in the alley," Bella said again her voice a soft, sexy murmur that had Matt looking at her like she was some kind of goddess and nodded his head in agreement.

"Well, that was quite entertaining to watch," came Jasper's amused voice as soon as Bella had entered the alley from the back door.

"It was amusing to do to," Bella assured him giving him a kiss on the lips, "even though I now feel like I need a shower as Matt..." The way Bella said the name made it clear that the man had gotten on her bad side, "made me feel filthy both inside and out with the way he leered at me and kept looking down my blouse at my breasts, but on the plus he should be here any minute now and he won't be alive two minutes after that."

"So how much money did you con him out of?" asked Jasper still very much amused at the whole thing as he had seen money changing hands. His Bella had been masterful and had the redheaded man eating out of the palm of her hand in a matter of minutes. He was one lucky son of a bitch!

"1,000 big ones, in euros, which translates to 1,304 and 27 cents. Not bad for night's work, hm?" Bella replied reaching down into her bra and withdrawing the wad of bills, "and yes I am aware it is pocket change to both of us, but it is the hunt itself that is so fun."

"I agree," Jasper huskily, "and as much as I would like to continue this I just heard the alley door opening, which is probably our target."

"Why don't you go get him, tiger," Bella told him with a teasing smirk. "Let's not let him get away after all my hard work."

"No, we wouldn't want that," Jasper agreed giving his mate a quick kiss before moving at vampire speed in order to get into position

"Bella?" Matt called, just a little nervously as the redheaded man stood near the door in the alley.

"Back here, Matt," Bella called just loud enough to be heard by a human. "I've been waiting for you." Bella approached from the other end of the alley, her walk being seduction itself, and Matt started to hyperventilate as he gazed at this vision of loveliness that was his for the next two hours. The things he would do to her...

"There's someone I would like you to meet," Bella whispered in his ear.

"Who's that?" asked Matt sounding only mildly curious.

"My husband," Bella told him so softly into the same ear the Matt barely caught it despite the fact that her mouth was almost touching the skin of his earlobe.

"Your husband...what is..." was all Matt had had time to get out before Jasper was on him and draining his blood.

"Ahh! That is much better," said Jasper as soon as he had finished draining the man. "Not the best meal I've ever had as his bloodstream had the strong taste of alcohol, but I've certainly had worse at one time or another."

"So what do you want to do with the body?" asked Bella. "Dump it in the canal that is only a mile or so from here or something else?"

"Dump it in the canal," Jasper decided. "It is dark enough that if we do this right nobody who sees us will be suspicious.

"So what do you want to do?"

"I want for you to get on one side with me on the other and we will act as if we are just helping our drunk friend out and doing our best to see that he get's home safely. It is dark enough that no human will be able to identify any of the three of us if the man's body is ever found and it becomes a police case, which isn't to likely, although it is a possibility."

"Alright," Bella agreed easily. "Before we do that though, let's make sure we take his wallet and anything valuable, just like we've been doing over the last few years."

"Of course, I was just about to suggest that," Jasper said, sending Bella his pride. "If he can come up with €1,000 without having to go to the bank he must be quite flush with cash."

"Or he's just one of those people who likes to carry large amounts of money as a matter of principle or uses cash instead of a credit card, which can be traced easily, while bills can't be," Bella suggested.

Bella rolled the man over onto his back having long since gotten over her aversion to touching a corpse and checked his back pockets where she did indeed find a brown leather wallet and when she opened it up she found several thousand more euros along with his ID that identified him as Matthew Adamson, age 43, with a birthday in February.

While Bella was going through Matt's wallet Jasper was checking his wrist, his fingers and his side pockets for anything valuable.

"So have you found anything?" asked Bella as she carefully put the wallet in her pocket to be disposed of appropriately at a later date

"Some more cash that was stuffed into the left side pocket, several rings that I can tell are real gold—the one with the diamond is more than likely worth at least several thousand dollars—and a man's wristwatch that I'm fairly certain is a real Rolex, which means it ought to sell on the black market for at least double for what's actually worth. All in all I say we've netted us at least 30,000 dollars."

"That doesn't count what I found in his wallet which is another five thousand dollars, plus the thousand he gave me, which makes it an even thirty-six thousand."

Jasper whistled softly and said looking up at Bella with a large grin on his face, "Well it looks like we hit the jackpot, doesn't it, my mate?"

"Absolutely," Bella agreed returning Jasper's grin, "and as much as I would like to celebrate our good fortunate, we need to get rid of the body as soon as possible and then go looking for me some more dinner before we dance the night away at a better class of nightclub that isn't located in the red light district."

"Spending all night with you in my arms sounds like heaven," Jasper said kissing his wife's cheek softly. "Of course it isn't as good an idea as us going back to the hotel room and spending what is left of the night fucking each other."

"Jasper, we can't spend all our time in bed as enjoyable as that always is. We came to Amsterdam to see the sights not spend all our time in bed," Bella mock scolded him, but with a grin on her lips and a twinkle in her eyes.

"That's a shame," Jasper said also chuckling.

"Is that all you ever think about?" asked Bella rhetorically knowing perfectly well that fucking her was always on his mind even though he was perfectly capable of thinking about several things at once.

"You know that answer to that, so I'm not going to bother to answer it," Jasper told her as his grin widened just a little.

"The question was entirely rhetorical," Bella said shaking a finger at him, "but you knew that and you were just teasing me, weren't you?"

"Guilty," Jasper chuckled good-naturedly as he grabbed the corpse and dragged it to its feet easily the body feeling as light as a feather thanks to his vampire strength.

Bella positioned herself on the other side and the two of them appeared to stagger out of the alley with the man's corpse between them. To any observers it would look just like all three of them were drunk and were helping each other to their next destination and that was the way both wanted it.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

"So where to next?" asked Bella as she smoothly lifted the Gulf Stream into the air after the airport gave them permission to depart. Jasper had been teaching her how to fly and she had mastered it in no time thanks to a vampire's perfect memory, which was useful in many ways.

"Well you did suggest Cancun, which is in Mexico," Jasper said

"What about Brussels in Belgium? It is much, much closer and from what I know they also speak Dutch too, which I am just beginning to pick up thanks to you," Bella said modestly, which caused Jasper to mentally shake his head as his Bella was doing much better then just beginning to pick it up as she put it.

"You're doing quite well and not just 'beginning to pick it up'. In fact you are learning much faster than a human would, thanks to those Dutch language CDs you listened to and the Dutch dictionary you read at vampire speed coupled with a vampires eidetic memory all you really need is practice speaking in actual sentences and to work on your accent. I, of course, would be willing to help you with that."

"Thanks," said Bella gratefully.

"You're more than welcome," Jasper told her reaching over to tuck one strand of Bella's brown hair behind her delicate earlobe tenderly. "So to Brussels for a few weeks?"

"That sounds great," Bella agreed. "It's really to bad I can no longer consume human food though as I've heard that Belgium chocolate is out of this world."

"Yes, not being able to eat actual food is one of the great disadvantages of being a vampire," Jasper agreed.

"But one of the very few as far as I am concerned," Bella told him.

"So let's start practicing your Dutch, okay?" Jasper suggested.

"Yes, we do need something to keep us occupied until we land," Bella said agreeably.

"Hoe heet u?" Jasper began.

"What is your name?" Bella translated easily.

"Hoe oud ben je?" Jasper said after making a light correction to his wife's accent and pronunciation.

"How old are you?" Bella replied

"Wanneer ben je jarig?"

"When is your birthday?"

"Kan ik je ergens mee helpen?"

"Can I help you?"

"Zijn je verloren?"

"Are you lost?"

"Hoeveel is dat, jurk?" said Jasper in Dutch.

"How much is that, dress?" Bella translated after a slight pause.

"So far so good, now for something more complicated," Jasper said sending Bella his pride that she had translated every single one right with just slight corrections to her accent and pronunciations. "Ready?"

"Ready," Bella said looking determined.

Jasper began again and that was what the two of them did for the rest of the very short flight which was less than an hour.

By the time they had landed and and deplaned they had been through over five hundred of the most common Dutch phrases.

"That was good, a little more practice and nobody will be able to tell that you weren't bilingual from the very first word," Jasper said.

"Having a perfect memory certainly helps," Bella said after the two of them went through customs with no trouble picking up the conversation again.

"It does," Jasper said as the two of them headed towards the car agency to rent a car.

"So to the hotel first?"

"Yes, let's check into the hotel," Jasper agreed.

"So where are we staying?"

"The Royal Windsor Hotel," said Jasper. "One of the things that attracted me to the place is because it is located in the city center and is near a lot of the attractions."

"So it is at a good location," Bella said

"Yes," Jasper said.

"So what do you want to do after we check in?"

"Well, it is nighttime, so we might as well check out some of the nightlife," Japer replied. "Maybe we can even go see a play now that you are beginning to understand the Dutch language and I can always translate if there's something you don't know."

"That sounds good," Bella agreed. "I didn't know you were into plays."

"It depends on what it is," Jasper replied. "I like Shakespeare in particular both reading the written plays and also when they are performed on stage. I have seen a lot of Shakespeare plays over the last seventy or eighty years."

"Don't you ever get tired of going to the same play again and again even if it done by different actors?" asked Bella curiously.

"Not really," Jasper said, "especially not something like Shakespeare as his writings transcends the ages and will always be in style, even centuries from now. Shakespeare really knew how to write and had everything in his plays and were put into three basic categories tragedy, comedy and histories. I particularly enjoyed the histories and you know why I did, but all of his stuff is good."

"I've always been fond of Emily Brontë," Bella said. "Of course they've never made Wuthering Heights or any of her other books into a play or movie that I am aware of, which really is a shame."

"See!" Jasper exclaimed triumphantly, "that's a perfect example if I ever heard one and thank you for thinking of it. You love to read and reread Wuthering Heights and other books by Emily Brontë, not to mention Mercedes Lackey and do you ever get tired of reading the same stories again?"

"No," Bella said finally seeing Jasper's point of view and why he never got tired of Shakespeare no matter how many times he saw one of the plays.

"Sure we have perfect recall, but that doesn't mean we don't enjoy reading something or seeing a movie more than once, especially if the subject really interest us," Jasper said. "Of course with that particular ability also has its own problem and that is that you remember everything with perfect clarity whether you want to or not."

"Yes I can see that now," Bella said looking thoughtful as she had never thought about it in quite that way before, but if she said anything about it Jasper would just tell her that she was still a relatively new vampire even if she was no longer a newborn and that it was to be expected.

Conversation stopped then as Jasper pulled up to the hotel and the two of them got out and Jasper handed the keys over to the valet so he could park the car, before he held the door open for his wife and then followed her inside.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

"Bella, how do you feel about gambling?" asked Jasper. It was several days since they had arrived in Brussels and they had been having the time of their lives even though they had mostly only been able to go out at night as it had been sunny every day, but one or at least it had so far.

"I don't know, I never really thought about it," Bella said. "Why do you ask?"

"Well I never said anything as we have been relatively busy but Edward, Emmett and I used to go up to Vegas and gamble at least once every two or three years. We always stayed at least a week if not longer, took in some of the shows, played the tables and the machines and always won a bundle between us," Jasper explained. "They do have a gambling establishment here and I was wondering if you would want to go and give it a try."

"Sure, why not, sounds like a lot of fun," Bella decided. "Of course, you will have to teach me how to gamble as I never would have thought about doing something like that when I was human since I never had that kind of extra cash to lose."

"I'd be happy to," said Jasper happily as he had really missed gambling since he was no longer a part of the Cullens. "All you really need to do is just watch me and how I play and you'll pick it up in no time. Of course that's no guarantee that you'll be any good at it as a lot of the games have a lot to do with chance and not just skill."

"So what kind of games are you best at?" asked Bella with a raised eyebrow. "Probably all of them, except the machines because of your talent since you can't really turn it off," she added.

"You're right," Jasper admitted with a smug as well proud look in his wife's direction. "Of course I always make sure I don't win to much if I go at all frequently. We're on vacation though so it shouldn't matter if I win $500,000 or something in that range as we won't be back for a decade at least and more than likely longer."

"Wow!" Bella said admiringly, "$500,000 just from spending a few hours in a casino? Have you ever actually one that much in one day?"

"Well, no," Jasper admitted, "but then when I did go Emmett and my former brother I always made sure we didn't win too much because all three of us knew that we would want to come back sometime in just a few months and we didn't want anybody watching us to closely to see how we did it or for the management to start keeping an eye on us. When you are one of the undead it is best to be as invisible as possible and not draw attention to yourself."

"Didn't the ladies ever go? Or Carlisle?" asked Bella curiously.

"No Carlisle wasn't one for gambling and yes, Alice could've gone and won a bundle thanks to her talent, which is probably why she never did, although she always kept a mental eye on us just to make sure we didn't get ourselves into trouble as we tended not to be as careful about attracting attention when it was just the three of us, kind of a boys, bonding trip. I will admit though it was mostly Emmett and me who tended to get ourselves in trouble as Edward was just to uptight to even consider letting loose a little."

"Everything you tell me about the former Edward Cullen makes me glad that he is no longer around to push himself and his values on us," Bella snorted. "I have no illusions that he wouldn't have made a pest of himself trying to get me to either remain human or if I was already a vampire to get me to drink animal blood."

"You're right about that," Jasper admitted. "Edward was very stubborn and obstinate as he believed that the only right way was his."

"Let's change the subject," Bella suggested. "I don't even want to think about Edward Cullen."

"Very well," Jasper agreed easily as he didn't really want to discuss his former brother either.

"So gambling tonight?"

"Yeah, gambling tonight," Bella replied happily as she was looking forward to this new and different experience. "You know it's a good thing that my father is no longer around," she added idly as if the thought had just occurred to her, which it had, "as he definitely wouldn't approve of his daughter gambling whether or not she was of age to do so. Of course, he also wouldn't approve of me killing humans, even the dregs of society in order to survive either. He was a cop, as you know and believed in the law and putting people in prison after a fair and just trial. In fact, he would be shocked and appalled at the fact that not only do I hunt humans down and drain their blood, but that I get a lot of enjoyment and pleasure out of it too and don't feel the least bit guilty for doing so."

"What made you think of your father?" asked Jasper curiously as Bella hadn't mentioned Charlie Swan since she was a newborn.

"Oh I don't know," Bella admitted. "I'm not sure why I thought of Charlie at all so I can't really give you an explanation. Maybe I thought of him because I'm about to go gambling and I remember very distinctly that he disapproved of people whom he felt wasted their money on gambling when it was so easy to rig the games. I believe he felt that there were more things to life then wasting your time trying to win money and losing more often then not when you could be out in the sun and and doing something honest. Also he was well aware that a lot of people were addicted to gambling and ran up large bills, because they couldn't quit playing and so got themselves murdered because they couldn't pay off their debts to the crooks that really owned the gambling houses. He was also well aware that dirty money gotten from criminal activities was laundered through places like that, so he had a lot of reasons to dislike gambling."

"I never thought about it like that," Jasper admitted, "but you're right a lot of these gambling places are just fronts for the criminals who make a lot of money off the people that play the games and it is very easy to rig the games and to mark the cards so that one person never wins too much, which is how they get a lot of people hooked in the first place."

"That won't happen to us though, will it?" asked Bella knowing perfectly well how Jasper thought and that he was sneaky, intelligent and that he was also well aware of how criminals operated to get caught in the insidious web of a dishonest and crooked gambling establishment.

"You know me too well," Jasper said smirking at her with a certain gleam in his eyes. "There is also no evidence that this place we are going to is anything but honest."

"Well, we will soon see, won't we?" said Bella as she idly played with a strand of Jasper's curly hair, that was as soft as silk and as smooth as satin.

"Yes we will," Jasper agreed, "although we will have to wait until it is dark enough for us to go outside as unfortunately it is very sunny today."

"When does this place open and what's it called?" asked Bella.

"It is named the Viage and it opens at noon and stays open until five a.m.," Jasper replied extremely happy that Bella had been so receptive to at least trying gambling. He had a very strong feeling that Bella was going to be hooked on gambling just like he was not to far in the future as she was just as competitive as he was and gambling had many opportunities to be competitive. Besides there was nothing else quite like gambling in the world, in his humble opinion and he was sure that Bella would soon share his opinion. It was the only game he knew of where you could win a massive amount of money and then lose it all in a matter of a few minutes.

"If you like gambling after your first experience with it tonight, then you and me will have to go to Las Vegas or Atlanta, which are the two major gambling centers in the States, and play the games there. We could spend years just going to all the gambling establishments in those two places alone."

"Which gives us plenty of opportunities to go back over the next few centuries and make lots of money doing something we love," Bella said, knowing exactly what her mate was thinking.

"Exactly!" Jasper said giving his wife a kiss on the lips, not surprised that Bella had caught on so quickly.

"You know what would really make it great though?" asked Bella seeming to have thought of something.

"What?" asked Jasper curious at what his mate had thought of.

"Well if we could act like detectives and investigate, which gambling establishments are honest and which are not and then put the dishonest ones out of business by draining the owners of their blood and burning the places they own down to the foundations." The glee in Bella's voice, emotions and eyes at the thought of doing that showed just how enthusiastic she was about her idea.

"What made you come up with that idea?" asked Jasper in surprise as doing something like that had never occurred to him.

"If you remember Charlie was a cop and the reason he became a policeman in the first place was to help out the honest folks and to put the dishonest people who hurt them behind bars. Well I picked up my sense of justice from him, or at least I think I did as it certainly didn't come from my mother, and I absolutely loath people that make money dishonestly at the expense of those who don't have either the money or the courage to fight back. I just thought that this was something we could do in order to at least help some of the honest people that are taken advantage of by these sharks."

"It's a great idea," Jasper assured his mate who was looking rather anxious waiting for his opinion. "It could even do a bit of larceny and rob the place of every bit of money, before we burn it to the ground. If we're careful the police will never know who is responsible and the criminal or criminals who own the joint won't matter either as they'll be dead, drained of their blood. It never would have occurred to me to do something like this before even though I hate the criminals that take money from innocent people to. Actually I hate all criminals, but those are at the very top of my shit list."

"And they are number two on mine, but you know what kind of crime is is at the very top of my shit list so I won't bother to repeat myself. Anyway, the idea to do of robbing a place and killing the owners probably didn't occur to you before because of circumstances," Bella suggested. "First you were with that bitch and just trying to survive and then you were with the Cullens and I'm sure you would have been thrown out of the family if you had done something like blow up a building after robbing them. I'm sure Carlisle never would have stood for something like that."

"You're right," Jasper admitted, "or Esme either as both were just to good to see how many criminals there are in the world and who hurt other people and who the courts aren't tough enough on or who just aren't caught in the first place as criminals can be very sneaky and manipulative."

"So what do you want to do while we are stuck in this very nice hotel room until we can go out about tenish?" asked Bella with a smirk in Jasper's direction knowing very well what her mate's response was going to be. Since it was only about nine a.m. they had hours before they could leave the hotel room since the sun was shining outside and the sun set quite late in this part of the world.

Jasper didn't even bother to give a verbal and was on top of his wife in less than a second and kissing her all over after ripping what little clothes she was wearing to shreds which really wasn't anything at all as all she had on was a pair of panties and the rest of her body was nothing but skin. What was the point of wearing a lot of clothes in your own hotel room, when you couldn't get cold or hot. It wasn't really that vampires couldn't feel the temperature it just didn't affect them. Besides the only other person present was her mate and Bella didn't mind in the least if Jasper looked at her like she was the most gorgeous person in the world and it helped that he was also almost naked except, of course, for a pair of boxers, which she ripped off without bothering to ask permission since Jasper had just done the same to her.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

"Why don't we stay together this first time," Jasper suggested a little tentatively as he didn't want Bella to think that he wasn't confident in her ability to to look after herself. They showed their idea to the attendant who was checking the IDs of the people entering the doors to make sure they were 21 or over as 21 was the legal age for gambling in Belgium.

"Sure, I don't mind," said Bella as she looked around with wide eyes. "You can teach me how to play poker and the other card games that are part of gambling, like 21."

Jasper breathed a mental sigh of relief and took Bella's hand in his giving it a squeeze.

"You thought I was going to object didn't you?" asked Bella amusement clear in her voice.

"I did," Jasper sheepishly admitted. "It just goes to show you we are still learning each other's habits, likes, dislikes and personality traits and will be for some time to come."

"In other words we don't yet know what makes each of us tick, at least not yet," Bella suggested.

"Precisely," Jasper said. "I can guess what you are thinking most of the time from your emotions and body language which helps, but it is only a substitute for really knowing a person inside and out. It will be a long time before either of us know how each of us will react in any given situation."

"So what do you want to play first," asked Bella changing the subject. Jasper shot her an amused look but let her.

"It doesn't really matter to me," Jasper said. "I'm particularly good at blackjack, actually most card games, but only because I am excellent at using my talent and reading body language to tell if someone is bluffing, or lying outright."

"Well then let us go over to the blackjack table as it is as good a place to start as any," Bella said.

"Alright," Jasper agreed as he led Bella over to the blackjack table and sitting her at his side placing one hand around her shoulders so it was clear that she was taken and not available to be picked up.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

Several hours later Jasper got tired of blackjack, although he'd made over €5,000 in poker chips before he quit. He'd let Bella pick the next game they were going to play.

"It's your turn to choose," Jasper said. "So what's your poison?"

Bella's lips twitched at Jasper choice of phrase, but the only thing she said was, "Why don't we try the craps table?"

"Alright, that sounds like a good idea," Jasper agreed leading Bella in that direction.

"Do you know how to play or do you just want to watch for the first couple of rounds?"

"Just watch," Bella said. "I'm familiar with the rules and the general concept of the game, but watching someone actually play it will help me learn to play it as well."

"That's okay with me," Jasper said as he and Bella approached the craps table. "Make sure you watch closely."

"I will," Bella promised.

They arrived at the craps table and Bella fell silent watching in fascination as Jasper expertly waited his turn, placed his bet and then rolled the dice.

Bella continued to watch and time passed quickly as neither Jasper or Bella noticing that they had been playing craps for over three hours much longer than then they had been at the blackjack table and it was now past two a.m.

In fact both were so involved that neither heard the heartbeat, or smelled a human approaching them from behind until a pair of arms came around Jasper's neck startling him.

"Hey handsome, who don't you and me just ditch this place?"

Bella growled and looked ready to tear the woman limb from limb with her bare hands which would be no trouble since she was a vampire.

"You will take your hands from around my neck. Whoever you are, I don't care, but I definitely don't let strange women put there hands on me." Jasper turned around in the woman's arms and removed her arms from around her neck, while shooting Bella some calm so she wouldn't attack the lady in front of a dozen witnesses or more, not that Jasper would blame her if she did do that. "I am a married man and have no interest in ditching this place with you and cheating on or leaving my wife. Now get lost," Jasper added rudely.

The woman didn't look interested in obeying so Bella stepped forward until she was standing in front of her husband, "Jasper, told you to get lost, so I suggest you do as he said."

"And just who are you to order me around?" the black haired woman, who was wearing way to much makeup huffed looking rather upset that she had been turned down. She had thought in that tiny little cell that she called a brain that she could just show that handsome man who had been winning so much her assets and he would follow her around like a panting puppy dog and buy her anything she wanted before she turned him loose six months, or a year from now. None of her relationships had lasted longer than a year and they usually didn't last more then two or three months. Every man she had ever tried to get the attention of before this always dropped the other woman they were with like a hot potato whether they were married or not before tonight. How had this man resisted her charms? He couldn't really love the other woman could he? In her somewhat conceited opinion she was way more beautiful then the brown haired woman and yet the man who she now knew was named Jasper had turned her down flat and hadn't even seemed to have any trouble resisting her. Nobody she had tried for before had had that kind of will power as she would modestly admit that when she had had been born her parents had spoiled her rotten and had told her more times than she could remember that she was so beautiful that she would have to beat the boys off with a stick and that had indeed come true, by the time she had turned ten.

"I have a lot more right than you considering you were putting your arms all over my man," Bella said furiously displaying her wedding ring and Jasper put his arms around her, more to stop Bella from attacking the woman in plain sight of a dozen witnesses than anything else, but at the same time Jasper made sure that his wedding band was also clearly visible.

"Pfft, why does it matter? Husbands cheat on their wives all the time. Why should such a handsome man as you be tied down to one woman?"

"That might be true for other men, but I am not one of them. I love my wife and you aren't even a blip on my radar. Now do the polite thing and retire with at least most of your dignity intact," Jasper suggested his words polite, but with a hint of intimidation in his tone while sending out a very low level of fear, and helplessness as he didn't want the woman screaming and running from his presence as that would definitely cause questions to be asked that they didn't need.

The black haired woman looked as if she had been slapped and the fear and helplessness in her eyes, made the Major purr in satisfaction as he had been getting annoyed at this woman who thought she could put his arms all over him for no other reason than because he had been winning a lot of money. The woman slunk away her whole posture radiating indignation at her defeat and hopelessness.

"You okay?" Jasper asked Bella softly enough that the humans who had been watching the confrontation couldn't hear what was being said.

"I'm fine," Bella assured him quietly enough that no human would be able to tell that she had said anything at all, "but if I run across that woman again either on accident of on purpose I guarantee you I will not hold myself back from draining her dry. Going after my man, even after you told her that you were married and weren't interested in her questionable charms!"

"And I won't stop you," Jasper assured her just as quietly. "That woman offends every instinct I've got I assure you."

"I know. Can we go back to the hotel early tonight?" Bella suggested tentatively not wanting to ruin Jasper's fun, but not really in the mood to be around so many people anymore. What had started out as a pleasant evening had been ruined by that hussy and for that alone Bella wanted to rip the woman to shreds.

How dare that bitch try to steal what was hers! It wasn't that she suspected Jasper was anything but faithful to her as he proved each and every day how much he loved her, but that some unknown woman had tried to steal someone else's man, even when that man had turned her down flat made her as mad as a hornet as the saying went.

"Sure," Jasper agreed knowing that Bella was indeed very upset if she wanted to go home early as it was still over two hours before the Viage closed for the night. "I have a great idea and it should cheer you up."

"What's that?" asked Bella curiously.

"Well, hot air balloons are very popular here..." Jasper began just a little nervously.

"Oh you mean go up in a hot air balloon?" asked Bella excitedly just stopping herself from clapping her hands in glee like a child since she didn't want the humans to take anymore notice of them then they already had thanks to that blasted woman.

"Yes, so you like the idea?" asked Jasper already knowing the answer.

"Absolutely," Bella said having trouble containing her enthusiasm.

"All right then, I'll try to arrange it sometime in the next couple of days as its supposed to be cloudy day after tomorrow according to the weather channel on the Internet anyway, but we'll see."

Jasper collected his poker chips that he had won and the humans at the table congratulated him on putting that dark haired bimbo in her place although a couple asked why he hadn't just taken her up on her offer. Those people quickly fell silent when Bella glared in their direction her expression murderous and Jasper had to actually stop her from attacking one man that was so drunk that his common sense, if he had had any to begin with that is, had gone out the window as he kept insisting that Jasper should not have turned that women's offer down. The two of them headed towards the cashier, after managing to extract themselves from the humans at the craps table, which was by no means easy, but they finally managed it after over ten minutes of people surrounding them and voicing their opinions. All in all Jasper had won over €250,000 which translated into 324,612 American dollars and 9 cents. It hadn't been a bad night moneywise, but thanks to that blasted, thrice damned female Jasper knew that it wouldn't be safe to come back here for at least the next six months or more as they had unintentionally drawn to much attention to themselves. In fact if it wasn't for that blasted woman they would've done even better. Oh well there were other gambling establishments if he got back in the mood to win a lot of money, before they left the city, but Jasper knew that he needed to think about his wife's desires and what she wanted to do as well as this trip was for both of them after all and not just him.

"Jasper do you know how to operate a hot air balloon?" asked Bella suddenly as they were approaching the cashier that would change their poker chips for cash.

"Of course I do," Jasper said amused at Bella's question, although he supposed it was a logical question. "I learned about 60 years ago right after me and Alice joined the Cullens. I'll probably have to convince whoever runs the place I'm thinking about that I know what I'm doing so that they'll let us operate the balloon by ourselves."

"I'm sure a significant amount of cash in the form of a bribe will do the trick," Bella suggested as she knew that money often talked and worked when nothing else did. "As much as you won tonight I'm sure 25,000 of it would should ensure the humans we'll be dealing with that we don't need someone to operate the balloon and that you know what you are doing."

"That's just what I was thinking," Jasper said with an amused smile thinking about that fact that he and Bella often thought the same way a lot of times and came up with the same ideas. "Of course I was thinking around 5,000 and then I would increase it if that wasn't enough to convince them. So let's go back to the hotel, shall we?" Jasper suggested as he put in all around his wife shoulder as soon as he had finished exchanging his poker chips for cash.

"Sounds good to me," Bella said as she snuggled up to him as close as she could get and still walk.

"So what do you want to do for the rest of the night?" Jasper asked as soon as they were away from the casino and any witnesses. "We can go back to the hotel if that is what you really want or we can do something else."

"It doesn't really matter to me," Bella decided having calmed down considerably since they had left the Viage, "so long as it's with you that is."

"Well there's this place called Celtica I found on the Internet when I was researching things for us to do at night just in case we didn't get a chance to go out in the daytime. It is not to far from the hotel and plays all kinds of music and have dancing to from what I read. Since we both like an electric variety of music I thought it would be a good place to go for a couple of hours if you want or we can go back to the hotel, like you originally wanted to do."

"How late do they stay open?" asked Bella who looked at the car dash for the time. "It is already 3 o'clock, you know."

"It varies from day to day, but they always open at 1 p.m. and close anywhere between five and seven," Jasper replied.

"Well I don't see any harm in going for an hour or so before we have to get back to the hotel before the sun comes up and if we like it enough we can always come back tomorrow night."

"Sounds good to me," Jasper agreed glad Bella had calmed down enough to not want to go directly back to the hotel, although he wouldn't have blamed her in the least if she had still insisted on going going back to their room, but soon he made a turn he was heading in the appropriate direction of Celtica.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

"Well, handsome it is surprising to run into you again," came the voice of the woman thath ad tried to pick up Jasper in the Viage casino.

Bella groaned and as she danced in Jasper's arms.

"Is it just an accident that we ran into her again or is she following us?" Bella asked just preventing herself from grounding her teeth in anger as she put her head on Jasper's shoulder trying her best to block out that blasted woman completely although that was difficult considering she was standing only a foot away from them glaring at her from where she dancing in her husband's arms.

"Shh! It's okay, I just believe that we ran into her on accident as I don't think she could have followed us," Jasper assured his wife. "I was watching for her if you want to know the truth so I would have known if she had actually followed us here."

"That doesn't matter, I just decided that she is going to be dinner," Bella told him softly enough that no humans could pick up her words with the music blaring out of the speakers. "I don't particularly care if it was an accident, fate, or if she followed us, but she has offended me so deeply that the only way I'll be happy again is if she is dead just so I know that she isn't waiting around the corner to annoy us. I know being attractive to our prey is part of being a vampire, but that woman must not have even have two brain cells to rub together because you weren't trying to attract her attention so she shouldn't have come anywhere near us as her instincts should've told her that we were dangerous."

"Part of it is that she is very drunk," Jasper told her softly kissing Bella on top of her head. "I'm not excusing her, mind you," Jasper added as Bella glared at him, daring him to excuse the woman's rather crass and extremely rude behavior, "but she must be way past any kind of legal limit. Can't you smell the alcohol you coming out of breath from over here? We as vampires can't get drunk and yet the fumes from her breath practically knocked me over when I smelled them at the Viage."

"That's no excuse," Bella said as she glared in the woman's direction with hatred in her eyes.

"No it is not," Jasper agreed wholeheartedly, "and if you want to drain her I certainly won't object I assure you. Expect the same when a man tries to pick you up and believe me it will happen. It may not happen for a year or maybe not for 100 but trust me it will happen, eventually."

"I won't object," Bella told him kissing his nose. "Not even if it's some pimply faced college kid though we normally have a rule that we don't drain anybody who's less than 30 and preferably 40 or more."

"I'll suspend that rule in those cases," Jasper told her, "for neither one of us needs a stalker and that is what this woman is quickly becoming even if we did run into her on accident. I can feel the determination coming off her from here, which tells me she won't give up until one of us either drains her or she gets what she wants."

"If that's the case then she is definitely going to be my dinner," Bella said with conviction in her voice as well as the eyes, "and you are welcome to share her with me if you want."

"Thanks, I'll be happy to share her blood with you, although I am sure it will be rank with the taste of whatever liquor she had been drinking," Jasper told her making a face before kissing her between the eyes.

"I'm sure you're right, but you are welcome," Bella told him as she continued to dance in her husband's arms while keeping an eye on the dark-haired, brown eyed woman.

Sharing a meal wasn't the usual thing for vampires as their instincts would kick in and they would attack anybody who got to close to whoever they were draining, but Jasper had explained that since they were mates the usual rule didn't really apply as Peter and Charlotte often shared their meals without attacking each other.

Both Jasper and Bella had found over the last couple years that they enjoyed draining a human at the same time and it happened quite often although not all the time of course as they also enjoyed feeding alone.

"Well shall I give that woman to follow me, so we can drain her?" asked Jasper with a smirk that was for his wife alone and that he knew drove her wild with desire, which was not a bad thing as far as he was concerned as it usually led to some of the best lovemaking they ever had.

"How are you going to do that?" asked Bella genuinely curious.

"Well you are going to pretend to go use the restroom and I'm sure she will approach without me having to do anything at all considering the way she's been glaring at you for the last half-hour."

"But instead of using the restroom I'll meet you in the back alley," Bella said catching onto Jasper's plan immediately.

"Exactly," Jasper said. "So are you game?"

"More than game," Bella assured him. "The sooner the two of us deal with this little annoyance, the sooner we can get back to enjoying ourselves without having to worry about where she's going to pop up next. I would like to enjoy my honeymoon with you without having to worry about her lurking in the shadows, just waiting for you to be alone."

"Alright," Jasper agreed giving her a discrete pat on the butt as a signal that she needed to pretend to head towards the bathroom.

Bella nodded at Jasper and then headed at a fast walk towards the back of the building where the bathrooms were located but as soon as she got there she slipped out the back exit and waited for Jasper to appear.

It wasn't more than five minutes later if that Jasper appeared in the alley with the woman following him behind panting like a dog in heat.

Bella's lip curled in disgust at the way the woman was clinging to Jasper, even as she growled to lowly for the woman to hear.

"So handsome all that drivel you gave me at the Viage was just that a load of crap," the woman said her voice a low and throaty purr as she tried to kiss Jasper on the lips which he avoided expertly.

Jasper didn't respond but Bella could feel his disgust and she didn't think Jasper realized that he was projecting what he was feeling.

"Why don't we head a little deeper into the alley?" Jasper suggested sending out emotions of trust to make sure the woman obeyed him without protesting or making a racket.

"Sure," the woman agreed eagerly as she followed Jasper to the darkest part of the alley where no moonlight penetrated.

As soon as the woman reached the part of the alley that was pitch dark Jasper had her restrained in an instant. "Ready, darlin'?" Jasper asked Bella.

"Ready," Bella said as she came into view from where she had been standing in the shadows.

"What is this?" the woman protested as she began to struggle. "Let me go or I'll scream and people will come running," the woman threatened.

"You will do no such thing," Bella told her, "as you will soon be very dead. You have made the last mistake of your miserable life by going after my man. If you had just left him alone this wouldn't be necessary."

"What are you going to do to me?" asked the woman as she continued to struggle.

"Why drain your blood, of course," Jasper told her with an absolutely evil and vindictive smirk.

"We are, after all, vampires," Bella added taking delight at the woman's shocked and horrified expression.

The woman began to scream, but Jasper clamped her mouth shut with his hand and he and Bella attached themselves to opposite sides of her neck and had her drained in about half the time it normally took, when they fed alone.

"Well that settles that," Bella said radiating satisfaction as she dropped the corpse of the woman to the ground and then kicked her in the head hard enough that it actually caved in. "It's actually too bad she is dead as I would've enjoyed torturing her breaking her bones one at a time and keeping her alive for as long as possible before finally killing her," Bella said, viciously kicking the woman's body again hard enough that Jasper heard the bones break in the dead woman's ribs.

"She really did earn your ire, didn't she?" Jasper asked amused, although he was also a little touched that Bella had gotten all upset at the woman that had absolutely no chance of stealing him away from his wife.

"Anybody who tries to pick you up even after you tell them that you are married earns my ire. Besides I'm more than just irritated, try fucking pissed off instead," Bella told him, "and yes I know there is no chance of some other woman stealing you from me but that doesn't mean I don't get angry that they try anyway even after they find out that you are not available, to be picked up like a damn fucking package."

"I love you," Jasper told her sincerely hugging her close to him and kissing her on the lips wishing that they had the time to have sex right here in the alley, but knew that that would be a bad decision as they might be discovered.

"I love you too," Bella assured him returning the kiss, "which is why I get all upset when somebody tries to pick you up, even after it is obvious that you are taken."

"Well shall we get rid of the evidence?" Jasper asked rhetorically.

"We shall," Bella agreed. "So how are we going to get rid of the body?"

"Like this," Jasper said as he picked up the dead woman in his arms and deposited her behind the dumpster after searching her for any valuables that she'd had on her. This not only made it looking like a mugging, but was something the two of them did after they had finished eating as there was no reason not to strip a corpse of anything of value since they would no longer be needing it. Most of the time they didn't get more than a few dollars off the corpses that they drained of their blood, but occasionally they hit the jackpot and got a couple of hundred or a couple of thousand whichever one.

"We aren't going to put her in the dumpster and burn her?" asked Bella in surprise.

"No, not in this case," Jasper told her, calmly with a wink. "Thanks to you caving in her head and ribs by kicking her, which I don't blame you for by the way as she was very annoying. When the body is discovered in a day or two it will just look like a mugging gone wrong and that whoever did it tried to hide the evidence."

"Oh, that makes sense," Bella said as she helped Jasper conceal the body to where it wouldn't be discovered until it started to decompose and stink up the entire alley.

"Well we had better head back to the hotel," Jasper said as soon as he and Bella had finished their work. "It is not that long until sunrise and we must be inside before then just in case it starts out being sunny instead of cloudy like the news is predicting."

"Okay," Bella answered immediately. "I am in definite need of a shower anyway as I feel very dirty, even if I know I can't get sick from germs that doesn't mean I am not still human enough to want to get clean. Besides you need a shower to as that woman's scent is all over your skin, which isn't really surprising considering the way she was hanging all over you."

"You're right, I need a shower to so since we both want to get clean or also in my case remove that woman's scent from my skin, we can share one and that way we can conserve some of the hotel's water supply," Jasper told her with a leer.

That got a laugh out of Bella as she knew that the last thing on Jasper's mind was conserving the hotel's water supply. No, more than likely her mate was thinking about what he could do to her as soon as they got back to the hotel suite, which didn't bother Bella even a little, teeny bit as she was very much looking forward to it.

"I know that technically we can't get sick, but we still have some of our human personality traits and as a human we both would have wanted to clean up after a dirty or nasty job and there is nothing wrong with that," Jasper added.

"Yes and I am still human enough to appreciate being clean and unlike them we can't get all pruney or get dry skin if we decide to stay in the water for awhile. Besides in today's society how you look matters and if you appear dirty or dressed in rags then nobody is going to give you the time of day thinking you are nothing more than a bum."

"True enough," Jasper agreed laughing as Bella was right even if he had never consciously thought about it before. There society, especially in this century was built on how you appeared to others, so if you wanted someone to pay attention to you you had to to be dressed decently, be clean and act confident as people who were shy or timid rarely got paid attention to as they tended to fade into the background and almost become part of the scenery. "So in order to prevent some human from shooing us away like a dog let's go clean up, shall we?"

"You're laughing at me aren't you?" asked Bella as she glared at Jasper suspiciously.

"I wouldn't do that," Jasper protesting not completely truthfully.

"Yes, you would if I had said something humorous that tickled your funny bone."

"Alright, fine I'm laughing at what you said and the way you said it, not at you," Jasper told her. "Besides you are right and today's society is built on appearances, even though I never really thought about it before you brought it up."

"Hmph," Bella pouted crossing her arms over her chest pretending to be annoyed at her mate, even though she wasn't.

"Come on, darlin' I know you aren't really annoyed or mad at me, so you can stop pretending," Jasper told her giving her a kiss on the lips.

"All right, fine," Bella gave in with a sigh, cussing Jasper's empathic talent in her head. "Let's get back to the hotel," Bella urged her excitement overtaking anything else. She grabbed Jasper's hand and practically dragged him out of the alley and towards the parking lot where their rental car was parked.

"I'm coming, I'm coming," Jasper laughed at his wife's enthusiasm. "There's no need to drag me to a place I'll be more than happy to go to."

"Alright, but hurry up," Bella urged as she ran at a human pace towards their parked car with Jasper following just a few steps behind.

Bella's excitement appeared to be contagious, Jasper thought in amusement. Well either that or her emotions were affecting his as he was now just as excited and anxious to get back to the hotel room so he could make love to his absolutely gorgeous mate as she was to get him there. There was no way in hell he was going to object though if Bella wanted to fuck him from fifty thousand feet in the air he would find a way to make it happen, for even if they fell the impact wouldn't kill them, although it would leave two very deep body shaped holes where they had fallen.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

"Wow! The view is spectacular!" Bella exclaimed enthusiastically as she and Jasper were very high up in the air in a hot air balloon looking down at the scenery that appeared more like a colorful patchwork quilt then actual buildings, people, cars, trees and rivers and that was even with her advanced vampire eyesight, but luckily Jasper had thought about bringing along two pairs of binoculars that they had picked up at a sports store so they would be able to see more than little tiny dots, colorful patches of farmland or a blue strip that twisted in several different directions that represented a river.

"And very romantic," Jasper suggested with a sly wink and a smirk, pleased that his suggestion had been such a winner.

"Yes, very romantic," Bella agreed as she came from where she was leaning over the edge of the basket looking at the view after giving Jasper a kiss.

It had taken Jasper € 4,500 euros apiece for the people that owned the Areovolare balloons to give in and not send them with someone to operate the burner under the balloon and only after Jasper had demonstrated his competence in being able operate it.

"This was a great idea, Jasper and we will definitely have to do it again sometime," Bella told him as she snuggled into his arms.

"We will," Jasper promised and he meant it as he to was enjoying the experience more than he had expected to, but than he hadn't thought about the fact that he would be alone with the woman he loved, out in the warm air on a cloudy, but relatively clear day.

Sure fucking his mate was something he loved doing as much as possible, which he knew Bella agreed with, but he also realized that they needed to do other things besides stay in bed for a month straight as enjoyable as that would be.

This had been a good option, as not only did it get them out in the fresh air, but gave them a bird's eyes view of the ground and also had the advantage it just being the two of them, with no humans within miles of them so he didn't even have to worry about his or Bella's thirst.

"You paid for us to stay up here for the whole day, didn't you?"

"Absolutely," Jasper said. "This is the first time I've had to really relax in ages."

"Yeah me to," Bella admitted. "The only time we can truly relax is when we are in our own home, out in the middle of nowhere or at least not near a human population, where no humans are likely to come or if they do it's only one or two and not hundreds in relatively close proximity. I feel like I don't have to be on my guard up here because there is no way a human can get close enough to us to cause us problems with our bloodlust."

"That is exactly what I was thinking," Jasper agreed beyond thankful that his mate was so intelligent and not some dunce that all she cared about were her looks, the latest, fashions and the current hairstyle, because he didn't think he could live with someone with a brain the size of a pea. One thing he really liked about Bella was that while she liked looking nice, she didn't have to spend thousands of dollars on clothes, makeup, beauty projects and had more brains in her head than a lot of women he had known over the last couple of centuries. Bella did buy really nice clothes occasionally and he bought expensive brand names for her sometimes, but neither one of them spent in a year what Alice could spend in a day.

"Great minds think alike and all that," Bella said teasingly.

"They do indeed," Jasper agreed giving his Bella a heartfelt, tender kiss on the lips as the sun set spectacularly behind them.

"You know we need to go to the the comic strip center. I read somewhere that the characters are actually painted on the walls of the building, so we might as well see it while we are here."

It was several hours later and they both hadn't talked much in that time, but then they didn't really need to in order to be understood.

"It didn't know you were into such things," said Jasper amused.

"Oh yes I used to watch Tintin, the Smurfs and many others, when I was a kid. Brussels is the city where a lot of them were created as comic strips, before being turned into cartoons. It sure did help me pass many lonely hours, while my mother went and did her own thing."

As much as Bella would have liked it to not hurt when she thought about her mother who was now deceased thanks to her and Jasper it still did and probably always would to some extent, even 500 years from now.

"Besides who knows if this place will still be in existence by the time we come back which could be a hundred years from now," Bella added.

"Then we will go," Jasper promised.

"Thanks," said Bella gratefully.

"Your more than welcome," Jasper assured her. "I would do anything for you."

"I know," Bella giggled as she snuggled a little closer.

"And you never ask for much," Jasper added peppering her face with tender kisses.

"That's probably only because you give it to me by anticipating my needs before I even know what I want much less have a chance to ask for it," Bella told him returning the favor and placing kissing all over his face like he had done to her, just seconds ago. "You're very good at doing that by the way."

"It's my centuries of experience and reading other peoples emotions and anticipating their actions, so I wasn't caught off guard," Jasper said. "I suppose that extends to being able to tell what your needs and wants are without you actually saying anything. Of course, I never cared about anybodies needs or wants, but my own, before you came along. Alice never needed me in that way thanks to her visions and the fact that she wasn't shy about being a barracuda to get what she wanted."

The two of them stood at one side of the basket and looked out over the passing scenery, enjoying it through their binoculars.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

"Let's see we should see the Chichen Itza, Xcaret, while we are here," Bella told Jasper as the two of them walked down the street in Cancún Mexico. "Also we should swim the Whale Shark Snorkel tour or go out on out own, which might be better, and we should also do the Extreme Canopy Adventure," Bella added as she continued to look through the guide book, flipping pages rapidly and reading at super speed.

They had spent three weeks, three glorious weeks in Brussels, doing everything imaginable, like riding the train and exploring some of the other cities, staying for a few days in each one, before heading back to their hotel in Brussels and spending the last few days in the city before flying out. The flight to Cancún had been almost twelve hours long, but that hadn't bothered Bella as Jasper helped her practice her Spanish so that she could at least understand what was being said when they landed, just in case some of the people didn't speak English. She had of course listened to some Spanish language CDs, before Jasper had helped her practice and get her accent right. Spanish was a lot easier to learn then Dutch because it was based off Latin, which was also what English was based in so that made it a lot easier to pick up.

Both of them had had such fun and Jasper especially who had relaxed considerably and was laughing much more then Bella had ever seen him do before.

"Whatever you want to do we'll find a way," Jasper promised.

"Well the only reason I suggested the Whale Shark Tour is because of your empathy, which is dead useful for getting animals not to run away from us. If not for that we wouldn't be able to do it, since all the animals sense we are predators and naturally stay away. Anyway we can also do some horseback riding that, of course, we couldn't do if not for your talent. They have a jungle and beach tour that I'd like to do, that involves riding a horse."

"Sounds good," Jasper agreed with excitement and happiness in his eyes as he hadn't been on the back of a horse since he had been changed into a vampire. "I've missed riding horses, as I used to ride then when I was in the calvary during the Civil War. I never thought about using my talent to make one not run away from me. It will be good to get back on a horse again."

"Good than you can teach me how to ride properly," Bella told him with a giggle, leaning over to give him a kiss on the cheek.

"I'd be delighted to," Jasper said. "You never had a chance to learn as a human?"

"Nope, I grew up in Phoenix and then went off to New York for college as I'm sure you remember and neither place is really known for it's horseback riding, even if I had had the time and money to learn."

"Well than this is a good opportunity," said Jasper with a happy grin. "So what else is there to do in this town? We can adjust our vacation if if we only want to stay a week instead of two."

"Let's just play it by ear," Bella suggested. "We should also do some of the stuff you want to do as after all this is not just my honeymoon, but yours as well."

"Well the horseback riding was a very good suggestion and I will enjoy that a lot I assure you as I haven't been horseback riding in a long time," Jasper said. "Not since I was changed into a vampire, actually."

"But we need to do more than one thing that you want to do just like we we did is Amsterdam and Brussels."

"We will," Jasper assured her. "Besides everything we do is enjoyable, so long as we do it together."

Bella nodded and agreed that doing things together as a couple was very enjoyable.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

"You know now that you are past your newborn year we really should go and introduce you to our rulers, the Volturi. It would be the correct as well as the polite thing to do and Aro would appreciate it."

The two of them were laying out in the sun on their own private beach that was part of the Secrets Maroma Beach Rivera All Inclusive Resort in Cancún and it was glorious to be able to feel the sun on their skin without having to worry about anybody bothering them or noticing the way that they sparkled.

"What about the others?" asked Bella who had been told about the Volturi and what the laws were for the vampire population. There weren't many laws, but the ones that the Volturi made were strictly enforced.

"Well, Marcus is kind of a nonentity ever since his mate Didyme was murdered several hundred years ago or at least that is what I heard since it happened several centuries before I was born. He kind of just fades into the background and you hardly know he is there a lot of the time."

"I thought you said that if one of out kind lost their mate then they would seek their own deaths," Bella said.

"For most vampires that is true, but Marcus also had strong bonds with Caius and Aro and that prevented him from seeking his own death, although he hasn't been truly happy ever since Didyme was killed."

"I see," said Bella in understanding. "If you want to go to Italy next and visit the Volturi, I won't object just so long as we are allowed to leave when we want to. After all you have told me and Melissa about them..."

"They won't try to keep us there when we are ready to leave, because of my rather fearsome reputation. Aro will probably request yet again for me to join the guard, but won't force the issue."

"All right then," Bella said. "We can spend our last month in Italy and even extend that time so long as we call Melissa and make sure she's okay with it as we don't want her to feel like she is being abandoned."

"I'm sure she is having the time of her life with Char and Peter and you know she sounded very happy every time we talked to her and both of them know how to have fun."

"That's true," Bella agreed. "So we finish up here in a week or so and then we go to Italy so you can introduce me to the Volturi. Why do you want to introduce me to the three kings anyway, besides the fact that it is the polite thing to do?"

"Well we also need to tell them about Carlisle's death as at one time he and Aro were good friends and this is as good a time to do it as any," Jasper told her.

"And...?" pressed Bella sensing there was another reason.

"And..." Jasper continued, "if I introduce you to them as my mate the three kings and the guards will know not to mess with you or try to lure you into the guard, even though that is not to likely since your talent isn't one Aro will be interested in. Also and more importantly the guards will know better then to try to harm you as that will mean I will take whoever is responsible apart a piece at at time and depending on the severity of the offence I might or might not burn the pieces afterwards."

"That probably wouldn't make any of the three kings very happy with you," Bella suggested dryly, being able to imagine such a scenario very easily.

"No it wouldn't," Jasper agreed, "which is why it is better to cover all the basis and give warning just so we are all on the same page so to speak."

"Aren't you being just a tad overprotective?" Bella suggested.

"Not really," Jasper said. "You need to realize that the Volturi are a force not to be messed with. In fact as you know they have quite a few vampires with talents and most others of our kind are afraid of them and with good reason, but they are just and fair, so as long as you have not broken the law you really have nothing to fear from them expect being forced into the guard if you have a talent that Aro considers useful."

"Except you," Bella said relaxing a little.

"Except me and I am one of the very few that can say that, if not the only one," Jasper agreed.

"So let's do it then. We might as well get my introduction to the Volturi over with as I'm sure I would meet then eventually anyway, so we won't have to worry about it anymore and can just get back to enjoying each other," Bella said.

"We don't have to stay in Volterra you know," Jasper said. "We can take trips, like going to Florence for example or Milan."

"Alright you don't have to convince me," Bella said. "Anywhere you are what makes me happy. They won't try to separate us will they?"

"No, one of the laws is that mates, true mates cannot be separated and even the Volturi must obey the laws that they created or risk being overthrown."

"Good," Bella said, "but now enough talk about the Volturi until we are actually in Italy. Now it is time to relax and have fun."

"I couldn't agree more," Jasper said giving her kiss.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

A week later Jasper landed the plane at Pisa International Airport, which was the nearest airport to Volterra Italy. It had been an almost 12 hour flight just like when they had flown from Belgium to Cancún Mexico. Not that that mattered to two vampires who couldn't get to tired to fly since they couldn't sleep.

Jasper rented a car as soon as they had gotten through the passport check and the two of them headed for Volterra Italy which was about an hour's driving distance.

When they arrived they parked the and exited the car to find that one of Volturi guards was waiting to escort them since they had called ahead.

"Jasper Whitlock, it's nice to meet you, I am Demetri."

"It's nice to meet you too Demetri," Jasper said politely shaking the dark haired vampire's hand. "As you know I'm Jasper Whitlock and this is my wife and mate Bella."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Bella," Demetri said politely shaking Bella's hand.

"Nice to meet you too," said Bella trying not to show how nervous she was about meeting the rest of the Volturi.

"If you will follow me I will take you to the throne room when the three kings are waiting for you," said Demetri.

Jasper and Bella followed Demetri into a long tunnel and it was several minutes later that they came to a door with a security panel, where Demetri punched in a code so that the door would open.

Once the door had opened and the three of them had passed through Demetri led them through an office with a human secretary on a straight route towards the throne room and it wasn't more than five minutes later that Demetri opened the door where the three kings were waiting and announced them.

"Ah, come in, Jasper and introduce me to your lovely mate," came the enthusiastic voice of Aro.

Jasper rolled his eyes at that but obeyed the command.

Jasper had met the three kings before and he knew of Aro's effervescent personality, but he was still a man to be obeyed or you faced the consequences.

"It's a pleasure to see you again," Jasper said as he politely shook the three kings hands, Aro's for a little bit longer then the other two. "This is my mate, Isabella." The pride in Jasper's voice was obvious to everybody in the room.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Bella said as she politely shook the three kings hands.

"Ah, the pleasure is all ours, Isabella," Aro told her with a winning smile.

"Please call me Bella," Bella requested.

"Bella then," Aro replied

"Enough with the pleasantries tell us why do you have come, not that we are not happy to see you," Caius demanded.

"We came to tell you that Carlisle Cullen has been destroyed, through his own actions," Jasper explained.

"What?!" Caius exclaimed in shocked surprise followed by everybody else in the throne room except for Aro who had seen it in their memories when he had shaken their hands.

"So I saw in both of your memories," Aro acknowledged, "but why don't you tell us the story?"

Jasper nodded and obeyed going over every detail of how Carlisle had gone insane and why he had gone crazy in the first place.

"So you are saying, that Carlisle went crazy because you burned Edward," Caius said in disbelief.

"Yes that is why," Jasper said. "Carlisle thought of Edward like a son. He was the first one that was changed by Carlisle and that might have had a lot to do with it as they were very close. Also Peter and Charlotte heard him muttering about how he had failed to be a good example to me, which is another reason we believe that he went insane. It's true he didn't change me into a vampire, but I did live with the Cullens for almost seven decades because at that time I was sick of killing innocent humans, thanks to my talent that allowed me to feel their emotions as they were dying, in order to keep myself alive. It never even occurred to me at the time that I could feed off the dregs of society and not feel the least bit guilty for ending those lives."

"You did the right thing in destroying Edward Cullen as he had no right to interfere in yours and Bella's relationship and he knew that," Aro acknowledged.

"He's just damn lucky that Bella or Melissa weren't hurt in the first place or I probably would've done more then tear him apart and burn the pieces. I probably would have tortured him for a month or two or even longer if they had actually been injured," Jasper said.

"And it would have been your right to do so," Marcus said speaking for the first time surprising everyone in the throne room as Marcus barely spoke at all anymore and hadn't for centuries.

"I can indeed see the bond between you and your mate and it is strong indeed and in fact it is the strongest one I've seen in sometime and no vampire has the right to interfere in the mate bond of another and so Edward got exactly what he deserved as he didn't have the right to try to push his beliefs onto anybody else. That Bella could have been grievously injured, considering she was still human at the time and therefore very vulnerable is fact. No human has a chance against a vampire, since we are faster, stronger and impervious to injury. If not for Jasper's actions it is very possible that Edward could have killed Bella as he apparently wasn't thinking about the consequences of his actions had he actually hurt her and it is a good thing that Jasper already took care of him as we don't need an insane vampire running around as a loose causing trouble."

"I believe that Edward's death was the catalyst that drove Carlisle over the edge into insanity. I think that the two of them depended on each other just a little bit too much," Jasper said feeling privileged that Marcus had spoken so much in his and Bella's presences as Jasper knew that he didn't speak much at all anymore, not since his mate's death anyway. Really Marcus was usually not more then an observer drifting through life, without really being a part of it.

"Perhaps you're right, in any case we will more than likely never know. I am glad you came to tell us about Carlisle death, but what you did was right as we cannot have a insane vampire on the loose," Aro said trying to hide his astonishment at his brother's little speech.

"He got what he deserved in my opinion," Bella said speaking for the first time. "Jasper has told me that Edward was very stubborn and none of our very logical arguments had any effect on his actions and this was despite the fact that he could read minds and so he knew we were telling him the truth."

"Edward had this hangup about the fact that he believed he didn't have a soul and when he learned that I was going to change a human into a vampire he came running on the assumption that Bella didn't know what she was getting into—as she was just a stupid human after all—and that she would lose her soul if she was turned."

Everybody in the throne room snorted at that. None of them believed that they didn't have souls. They were predators yes and yes they drank human blood in order to live, but that didn't mean that they didn't love, hate or feel any other emotion and if they could feel those things then of course they had souls.

"He also always believed that he should've been allowed to die of the Spanish Influenza and not turned into a vampire by Carlisle in the first place and he believed the same thing about Rosalie, Esme and Emmett," Jasper said.

Everybody digested this and then Aro asked politely, "Would you and your mate like to stay for dinner? Heidi should be bringing in a large group of tourist in just a few minutes or if you prefer you are of course welcome to hunt up your own out on the streets of the city and that's fine too."

Jasper looked at Bella to see what she wanted and she nodded in acceptance.

"We be happy to stay for dinner and thank you for the invitation," Jasper said politely actually touched that Aro had offered at all.

"Very well then let Jane lead you to the feeding chamber as Heidi will be here probably in the next 10 minutes."

"If you will follow me," Jane requested coming forward.

Bella and Jasper nodded and followed Jane out of the throne room and towards the feeding chamber.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

The room that was the feeding chamber was of course made of the same gray stone as the rest of the castle, and had probably used to be what was known as the Great Hall where the humans of the castle and their guests ate, so that vampires fed here now was kind of ironic in a sense. The hall was large enough that it could hold several hundred people at the same time and they wouldn't feel crowded.

"Are you sure about this?" asked Jasper. "Most of the humans are probably innocent and just made the mistake of signing up for a tour of this castle."

"Yes I'm sure," Bella told him seriously. "With my talent I'll be able to tell which ones deserve to die and I'll go after them and leave the others to the Volturi. I won't go after a child and neither will you, but I will go after the adults who are at least 30 or more."

"Alright," Jasper agreed. "I just hope some of these humans deserve to die."

"Besides Aro was so polite about it, which I really didn't expect, so I didn't see how I could say no and not be seen as rude despite how he said we could go hunting in the city."

"A point," Jasper acknowledged just as the doors on the opposite side of the hall opened and a vampire with red hair who was probably Heidi came in followed by about 200 humans.

"Wow! A virtual feast!" Bella said impressed as she and Jasper as well as the three kings and the Volturi guards chose their targets and ran at them at vampire speed.

In just seconds it was a slaughter as before the humans even knew something was wrong over half of them were being drained by the three kings and the Volturi guards. The rest of the humans ran screaming trying to find a way to escape, but both sets of doors slammed shut on either side of the hall shutting off the escape routes.

Bella observed the humans for a moment and then ran over to a man that was wearing little more than rags and looked to be at least 60. Before the man even knew she was there her teeth were attached to his neck and she was draining him dry.

"Hmm! Yummy!" Bella said licking her lips before she looked around for another target as all these humans and their frantic heartbeats were making her really thirsty. In fact she was much thirstier then normal, which probably had to do with the way the humans hearts were beating frantically in fear and the smell of their blood as it pumped furiously through their veins was much stronger because of that fear. Bella could actually smell the fear rolling off them and this made her lick her bottom lip with her tongue again planning on gouging herself much more then she normally did. By time she was done she wouldn't have to eat for at least a month, probably anyway, depending on activities.

Bella chose a woman this time that was frantically scrabbling at the closed doors on the opposite side of the hall and Bella was on her in a second and draining her dry. By the time Bella finished draining and dropped the corpse of the woman on the steps that led up to the doors and then looked around only to discover that most of the humans, except maybe a dozen were no longer breathing and were now quite dead, their flesh already cooling. Bella tried not to look at the dead children that ranged anywhere from three years old to eighteen as her dead heart went out to them for they had barely had a chance to live.

"Come on Bella, Jasper choose another if you want, you are after all our guests," Aro told them.

Bella nodded and chose another woman, who looked about thirty-five who was just standing in the middle of the room looking stunned at what was happening around her, which Bella could hardly blame her for. Bella put the woman out of her misery in just a few minutes and no matter how much she struggled and sobbed it didn't deter her from draining her and in fact she enjoyed draining her even more then those that didn't struggle at all and just accepted their fates. Bella chose another, a man this time, and then another. After she was done draining her fifth human she felt, very sloshy as she was so full that she felt she would explode if she took another sip so she went over to stand by Jasper as he finished his seventh human.

By this time all the humans except a couple were dead and Jane got one of those remaining while Demetri got the other.

"What do you do with all the bodies?" Bella asked Aro curiously.

"We have several furnaces deep in the dungeons of the building so we throw the bodies in there and burn them up so that there is no evidence at all."

"Wow!" Bella exclaimed impressed at how affective the Volturi operation was. Of course they had been doing it for several thousand years so they should have it down to a fine art.

"What are your plans while you're in Italy?" asked Aro eagerly. "You are welcome to stay with us for a while if you want."

"Well technically we are on a honeymoon and we planned on seeing some of the sites while we were in the country," Jasper explained.

"Why don't you stay for a few months?" Aro requested. "We don't often get visitors. I can promise to make it worth you're while."

"Well, we'll have to think about it," Jasper said politely, "although we appreciate the offer."

"So long as we can still take some trips like up to Florence I say we stay for awhile," Bella told Jasper.

"Of course, I have no objection if you want to explore some of the famous historical sites in the country or go shopping or to the theater," Aro said agreeably.

"Alright," Jasper finally agreed looking at Bella who nodded. "We can stay for a couple weeks anyway and maybe we'll stay longer than that but will just have to play it by ear."

"Perfect!" Aro said looking ecstatic. "I'll have someone prepare a room for your use."

"Thank you for your hospitality," Bella said with a smile warming up to Aro.

"You're more than welcome," Aro said smiling brilliantly. "It can get rather boring since we get so few visitors, especially since we're practically immortal."

"I understand that feeling all too well," Jasper told Aro.

"I can see that you do," Aro agreed.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

"Why did you agree to stay?" asked Jasper curiously as soon as they were alone in the room that Aro had provided.

"Because despite their reputation among vampires none of them are evil," Bella told him. "Selfish, greedy, vain, and like the finer things in life, especially Aro yes, but evil no. Aro is very lonely, despite the fact that he has his two brothers and his wife. He's right in the fact that he very rarely gets to hold an intelligent conversation with another vampire and if we can ease that loneliness a little we should."

"Put like that I see why you said we would stay for a few weeks," Jasper said finally understanding. Bella's talent had continued to develop to the point where she could sense negative emotions from at least 25 feet away now.

"If we stay for six months or a year we would make Aro very happy, although I know we can't stay that long," Bella said, "but maybe we could come back every few years and explore more of Italy and keep Aro entertained at the same time."

"We can do that," Jasper agreed kissing his lovely wife on the lips. "There's plenty of things in Italy to see and do that it will take us a long time to see and do it all. Your right, the Volturi aren't evil, although Carlisle if he was still alive would disagree. As you know I have met them on several occasions as that's why I agreed to your request so quickly as you're right the Volturi are not evil, although a lot of our kind would disagree."

"Of course they would," Bella snorted in contempt. "They want to be able to do what they want including revealing the vampire race to humans and making them slaves, so of course they are hated in some circles."

Jasper laughed at that and knew that Bella was correct.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

"We should go to to the opera while we are here," Bella suggested looking through a guidebook on Italy.

The two if them were in the car and Jasper was driving them towards Florence to do some exploring and shopping and were planning on staying for at least a few days.

They had been staying with the Volturi for a week already and Jasper had enjoyed himself discussing history with Aro, while Bella also sat and listened in and occasionally joined in. Most of Bella's time though was taken up in the enormous library that had book from all over the world and in at least a dozen different languages and some of which were hundreds of years old.

Also miracle of miracles Jasper and Caius had bonded over the discussion of weapons as both had large collections of swords, guns, knives, from various, countries and eras of history and in Caius's case he even had a cannon stored in one of the storerooms of the castle.

"If we do something like that it will be in Italian and your grasp of that language isn't good enough yet for you to understand everything that is being said," Jasper pointed out logically.

"You can always translate," Bella said.

"I can," Jasper agreed keeping his opinion to himself as it was an opinion that was not formed on facts since he had never been to the opera. Jasper couldn't see himself liking something like opera, but he would go this once to get a better idea on whether he would or not.

"You don't want to go," Bella accused him seeing Jasper's lack of enthusiasm.

"Well, I've never been interested in opera," Jasper explained. "Think about my background, I was born in a small town outside of Houston on a farm and it wasn't exactly the big city like New York. In other words as a human I didn't grow up with people who liked to go to the opera on a regular basis like lots of folks in the big city do and that of course stayed with me after I was changed."

"Well I didn't grow up going up to the opera either, but I would like to go at least once, to see if I like it and to at least have the experience. I might never want to go again, but how do I know unless I experience it at least once? If you don't want to go though that's okay with me and we can just forget we ever had this conversation as we should do things we know we will enjoy together."

"No, you have made some good points and we should try it at least once, but if we do go I would prefer us to rent out an entire balcony so no other humans are near us. It isn't that we don't have good control over our bloodlust, but that would just be better for all concerned and we will enjoy it more if we don't have hundreds of humans heartbeats and the overwhelming smell of their blood, not to mention other things so near us."

"Good idea," Bella agreed even though she knew it would be very expensive, but it wasn't like they didn't have the money. "If we do decide to go we should go to La Scala in Milan as it is quite famous and has been around since the late 1700's, before either one of us was born."

"Well, aren't we getting high and mighty?" Jasper teased his wife. "Isn't it only people in high society that go to the opera?"

"Not anymore," Bella told him with a teasing smirk and wink in Jasper's direction as she silently acknowledged that if this was a couple a hundred years ago he would have a point. "That was true in the 17 and 1800's but a lot of people who are not rich go to the opera now just because they enjoy it. Centuries ago it was a place for people to be seen and to make contact with the right type of folks so that they could get what they wanted, whether it was a project they wanted endorsed, or a bill passed, they would meet at the opera and discuss it while watching the show. Of course some people went just because they enjoyed it and not just to be seen."

"Sometimes what you know surprises the hell out of me," Jasper said shaking his head in wonder. "Is this something you knew as a human or something you read?"

"Something I read on the internet," Bella told him. "I've been reading a lot of stuff and since I now have and eidetic memory I never forget it."

"So what else would you like to do?" asked Jasper.

"Well I would like to go to Gucci, Prada, Armani, Versace who are based in Milan. Besides I need a gown for when we go to the opera and you need a nice tuxedo," Bella told him.

"Ahh, Bella!" Jasper complained as he hating dressing up all fancy.

"You can't go to the opera without looking your best, especially not to a place like La Scala," Bella scolded him lightly. "I'm sure we can rent a tux for you so that you don't have to buy one because I'm sure we won't be doing anything that requires one again anytime soon."

"As long as we are going to Milan I would like to go see one of the car races," Jasper said. "Milan is the home one of the oldest racing circuits in the world and that is Monza Formula One."

"Sounds good," Bella agreed. "I didn't know you were interested in watching car races."

"It's kind of a minor interest," Jasper told. "I've been to a couple of races live over the last few decades in different cities, but mostly I just watched them on TV."

"Alright, anything else you want to do?" asked Bella.

Jasper shook his head and they fell silent arriving in Florence not much later.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

"Jasper, Bella we have a job for you that we both think you are uniquely qualified for," Aro said, as he sipped a glass of blood. "Now you don't have to accept, but we would appreciate if you would at least consider it."

"What kind of job?" asked Jasper with a raised eyebrow. "We can't exactly give you an answer if we don't even know what the job is."

"Logical," Caius said as he to sipped a glass of blood.

It was just over a month later and Jasper and Bella had been enjoying their time in Italy and had taken several trips to different cities and been to the opera, which both enjoyed more then they thought they would, gone shopping, and bought jewelry, clothes and of course souvenirs.

"We are starting to get into the drug trade," Aro explained.

Jasper and Bella looked so surprised that Caius hurriedly explained, "Most of vampires now drain the blood of criminals like drug dealers. There will always be humans that mess up their bodies by taking drugs, but the main reason we want get involved in the trade is to create drug addicts so that our kind will always have plenty to eat."

"Eventually we would like expand to all the countries in the world," Aro added, "although I realize that that goal is a decades if not centuries long project."

"But we have the time," Caius said. "We are after all immortal."

"What exactly would we be doing?" asked Bella. "Surely not selling drugs?"

"Oh, no we will have human agents for that," Aro assured them. "The humans that sell the drugs will have no idea that they are controlled by vampires. What we want you to do is get the cartels to work with us and if they refuse kill them either by draining their blood or by blowing them up."

"We will of course supply you with everything you need in order to do what needs to be done," Caius told them.

"And what's in it for us?" asked Jasper.

"Money, lots of money," Aro said simply, "and our respect. You'll never have any trouble from us if you want expand your coven past what it is now for example."

"That isn't too likely actually," Jasper told them calmly leaning back in his chair and sipping a glass of excellent blood from the three kings own wine cellar. "I never would've changed Melissa for example if it hadn't been for that idiot Edward. It's not that I don't love Melissa like a daughter, but she never would've known about the vampire world if not for Edward Cullen and I would have preferred to leave her out of it. Of course when she did discover that vampires were real there was no way in hell I was going to leave her human with that knowledge and I wasn't about to kill her since she and Bella are best friends, so my only option was to change her as well as Bella and luckily Melissa agreed to it or I would have been forced to do it."

"But if Melissa were to find a mate that was human?" Aro suggested.

"Then I would change him, of course," Jasper acknowledged seeing what Aro meant. "I really hope she does find a mate sometime soon as even if we love her having a mate is different. Besides she has been feeling something like a third wheel being the only one without a significant other."

"So what do you think about our offer?" asked Caius a little impatiently.

"Your idea is intriguing," Jasper admitted. "I never thought about the fact that in this day and age most vampires hunt criminals, although I can understand why they do what with newspapers, TVs, radios, cell phones and the internet it's a lot easier for a murder to gain national attention, especially when it is somebody prominent, while criminals dying aren't going to be more then a blurb on the news."

"And there will always be plenty of criminals as the human race is just not wired to behave all the time," Bella who had been silent up until now piped up

"Why don't you give it a try for a few months anyway," Aro suggested. "If you find the work doesn't suit the two of you, you are welcome to tell us that and we will find somebody else, but you Jasper are the one most qualified because of all your skills and talent. You can intimidate someone without even touching them thanks to your empathic ability, which is why all of us think that this job is perfect for you."

"True enough," Jasper acknowledged.

"It would also mean at least some traveling," Caius added. "We would of course pay anytime you had to go somewhere."

"I already have a plane," Jasper told them, "but you could pay for the fuel."

"How much money are you talking about paying us for our services?" asked Bella.

Aro named a figure and Bella blinked in surprise.

"I say we go for it and at least give it a try," Bella told Jasper. "It isn't so much for the money. Taking this job means we would get to travel and see some more of the world even if we had a job to do that doesn't exclude us from enjoying ourselves after we accomplish our mission."

"Alright," Jasper finally agreed giving in. The job the Volturi suggested did sound interesting and he was willing to give it a try to see if it suited him and Bella and if it didn't they could always tell the Volturi that they quit. "I'm willing to give it a try for a while anyway," Jasper said. "Melissa is able to be on her own now that her newborn year is way past and she is doing so well with her bloodlust I wouldn't feel too bad for leaving her to go on a mission although we would of course be checking just to make sure she was doing okay."

"Excellent!" Aro exclaimed looking pleased.

They discussed the details but about an hour late Bella and Jasper headed back to their quarters heads full of this intriguing idea of the three kings.

It was an excellent idea, Jasper admitted to himself, although he had had no idea that so many other vampires were only hunting criminals nowadays, but he should've seen it coming just because of the way technology was advancing all the time. In fact it was getting harder and harder for vampires to conceal their existences which was why he was always so careful about going out around humans.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

"So what do you really think about this idea?" Bella asked Jasper as soon as they were back in their quarters.

"I think that Aro really has an excellent idea and that he also made some very good points," Jasper told her. "I never really thought about the fact or even knew that most vampires nowadays hunt criminals or bums, although in retrospect it makes sense as it is a lot easier for a murder of a law abiding human to gain national attention, which we don't need."

"No we don't," Bella said. "As it is the news is filled with murders, rapes, killing and every other type of crime you can imagine."

"So Miss Bella what do you want to for the next few hours?" asked Jasper

"Do you even have to ask?" Bella replied giving him a sultry look. "I'm still rather sloshy from dinner and making love to you will help that feeling, it always does. You know it's a good thing that I can't gain weight with the way I've been feeding lately," Bella added pensively. "Every time we feed with the rest of the Volturi I'm always draining more humans than I usually do."

"Yes I have noticed that you've been draining at least four if not five humans every time we go to the feeding chamber once a week," Jasper commented, "but then so am I."

"I think it's the way that the humans heartbeats are so frantic when they realize they are about to die, as that heats up their blood and makes them smell even more delectable then when they are not all excited or fearful. I've gotten used to feeling sloshy now, but really with the way I've been feeding lately I don't really need to eat for at least a month afterwards and here I have been feeding every week, without fail since we got here."

"We don't have to participate in the feedings, you know," Jasper told her.

"No, we don't," Bella agreed, "but I've noticed that it does make it easier to be out around a lot of humans if I am feeling all sloshy and in fact it's a practice I might have to keep up in the future anytime we are going to be around a lot of humans as it makes it easier to resist then if I just drain two like normal and it isn't like I can get fat, or get a stomach ache like a human can from overeating."

"You're right it does make it easier to be around a lot of humans if you overindulge," Jasper agreed. "I never realized that before, or perhaps I wouldn't have had as much trouble being in large, excited crowds in the past."

"So that's what we need to do whenever we plan on being around a lot of people, like at the movie, for example," Bella said. "We need to overindulge the day before or better yet just hours before so that there is less risk of attacking them in front of dozens of other human and in broad daylight."

"Especially if we are going to be somewhere, where the humans are likely to be excited, like a music concert. When a lot of humans get excited it makes the blood move faster through the veins and heats up their bodies causing them to sweat and therefore smell more delicious than normal and if you are somewhere there are hundreds of them if not thousands in that state, well to a vampire that is practically an open invitation to a thousand course dinner."

"It would be a slaughter," Bella agreed, "and since there is no way that one vampire or even two could drain that many humans they would just have to be killed and the bodies disposed of."

"And if that many people disappeared at one time people would begin asking questions, then the police would get involved, and maybe the FBI. It would be a disaster in the making," Jasper added.

"You know now that we know about this method, maybe we could test it out, by going to a music concert like you mentioned. We could see how it goes and if the test is successful we could try it again. Besides I miss music," Bella admitted. "Listening to it on the radio or watching a concert on TV just isn't the same as going to one live."

"Did you do that a lot as a human?" asked Jasper curiously.

"Me and Melissa did go to a few concerts," Bella said, "when we could afford the tickets and when some group we really liked was playing near enough that we wouldn't have any trouble taking the subway to it."

"We'll test it out, sometime in the near future," Jasper promised his mate giving her a kiss, "but now you attention is required elsewhere."

"Race you to the bedroom," Bella exclaimed wiggling out of Jasper's arms and heading towards the bedroom at vampire speed, Jasper following immediately.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

"Do you know what I'm going to do to you?" Bella asked Jasper as the two of them stripped out of their clothes without ripping them at vampire speed.

"What are you going to do to me, my mate?" asked Jasper anticipation in his eyes.

Everytime Bella took the lead when they made love she always came up with new and interesting ways to give him as untold and untapped pleasure and he always looked forward to her little demonstrations. What guy human or vampire wouldn't? Bella was a walking, talking, sexy as all hell, gorgeous, curvy, woman, with legs a mile long, and breasts that were so soft that it was a pure sensual experience just touching them with his fingertips. When he kissed those, soft, silky breasts with his lips and licked them with his tongue, not to mention when her aroused scent reached his nostrils... Jasper's eyes rolled back at that thought as there was no description he could come up with that fit what he always felt whenever he did that. His Bella was a dream come true and one that Jasper hoped he never woke up from. He was looking forward to spending the next five or ten thousand years doing nothing, but loving her and he knew that Bella felt the same way he did. His life had been far more pleasant with her in it then it had in the hundred and sixty-five years before that and he would always be grateful to Bella for pulling him out of his very lonely existence.

Also he had always loved having sex, when he had been married to Alice and he had always thought that the two of them were very good at it, but his orgasms now were nothing compared to then and he was happy in this case to be proven wrong. The first time he had made love to Bella—even as a human—had been spectacular and it had only gotten more and more spectacular since then although Jasper knew that was at least partly because of the bond since she was his true mate and also because he loved her so much more than he ever had his ex-wife.

There was always a certain spark whenever he and Bella came into contact bare skin on bare skin and that feeling only increased about a millionfold whenever they made love. In fact the feeling got so intense that it was almost like being electrocuted, with what felt like 500,000 volts running through their joined bodies. If they had been human they would have been burned to cinders in just a few seconds, well that or had heart attacks from the feelings of pure, unadulterated pleasure running through their bodies. Luckily for him and Bella they were vampires and made to resist just about anything, including feeling so much pleasure that it would have killed just about anybody else. Then again a vampire's emotions were much stronger than a human's, as humans just couldn't feel that much emotion and not short circuit.

"Well..." Bella hedged for a moment and then began telling him exactly what she was going to do to him and her words and descriptions, caused the general to stand up completely straight and immediately start leaking cum and venom from the tip where it dripped onto the carpet that covered the cold stone floor.

"I am yours to command," Jasper told Bella with an extravagant bow, causing Bella to giggle as he lay down on the bed and waited for her to begin. He knew he was going to more than enjoy it as his wife was a sex kitten and a vixen all rolled into one gorgeous package in his humble opinion and his was really the only one that mattered in this case.

"Yes you are and you better never forget it either or there will be hell to pay," Bella told him teasingly knowing there was no need to worry as Jasper was hers, heart and soul.

Before Jasper could respond, Bella was on top of him with one of her legs between his and Jasper knew by that gesture that she was going to spend as long as possible giving him pleasure before she let him climax or let herself come and that his orgasm was likely to be so powerful it would be sometime before he was back to normal.

"Hmm, you always taste so good," Bella murmured as she ran her tongue over Jasper's chest causing him to shiver in pleasure a little.

Bella removed her tongue from Jasper's chest causing him to groan at the loss of contact only to have her replace it on his nipple which she then sucked into a little peak before doing the other one as well. Once Jasper's nipples were standing up straight she moved her attention to his neck that she kissed several times before running her tongue over the scars on his neck and her mating mark, which had made Jasper hers.

"Bella! Quit teasing!" Jasper demanded as Bella continued to lick, kiss and nip her way down his chest making sure to kiss every single one of his numerous scars.

"Don't you know its rude to interrupt when I'm tasting something so exquisite?" asked Bella completely seriously, the lust in her eyes for Jasper's body causing him to get even harder in the area of his cock as a result. "Besides I'm only doing to you, what you did to me in Paris, if you remember. I believe you said we made love without climaxing once for over five hours."

"I did," Jasper panted looking excited at that prospect. "Are you going to try to see if you can do the same?"

"Oh I doubt I can make us last that long," Bella acknowledged, "but then I don't have your vast decades of experience, but one day…well, be prepared to be surprised. If I can make us last a couple of hours without climaxing, I'll be satisfied. I can work my way up from there."

Bella continued what she had been doing just a couple of minutes ago and Jasper started immediately panting again and starting withering underneath his wife as the feeling of ecstasy inside him started to build again, slowly at first, then more rapidly until Jasper knew he was right on the edge of going over.

"Oh no, you're not allowed to orgasm yet. It's way to soon. We haven't been at this anytime at all yet," Bella murmured as she stopped what she had been doing and started doing something entirely different, causing Jasper to groan as his climax started to subside a little only to build right back up.

Finally Bella seemed to be done with licking and kissing his chest, moving down to his right thigh—bypassing his cock entirely as she was saving that for last—and started to pinch it, as well as licking, kissing and nipping it taking the skin between her teeth and nibbling it like the skin of his inner thigh was a piece of exquisite tasting chocolate. If there was one thing Bella knew it was that Jasper's thighs, especially right near his cock were very sensitive to sensation. She had discovered this quite by accident about a year ago one afternoon when they had been making love while Melissa was busy elsewhere.

"Hmm, I could stay down here forever and lick your thighs for the rest of my existence and be content with that alone. I don't know what it is that attracts me to them, but I am just wild about your thighs. I love your whole body, scars and all, but your thighs just seem to call to me. They seem to say, Bella lick us, kiss us, nip us, we are yours alone to do with what you will. We need you there. I have fantasized about your thighs ever since we first started making love. I dreamed about them constantly when I was human and that seems to have carried over as now I daydream about them and what I'd like to do to them."

"Your welcome to be attracted to them, as I'm quite attracted to your legs and breasts myself," Jasper panted as Bella went back to treating his thighs like they were the most delicious desert she had ever tasted.

Jasper continued to pant and gripped Bella's shoulders tighter then he had been and in fact he gripped them so hard he knew he was leaving fingernail marks on the back of her shoulders that would never fade and in fact would become scars. It wasn't that he cared if his Bella had a few scars as he would still love her just like she loved him and all his.

Bella finally seemed to be finished with his thighs and instead of going to his cock—which needed release, so very badly as it was so rock hard that it was exquisitely painful—like Jasper hoped she would, Bella began to kiss and lick along his right hip instead, tasting the skin with her tongue and purring at the delicious taste of it.

"Bella!" Jasper growled in frustration as the general continued to leak semen and venom onto the bedsheets, soaking them through and ruining them as the venom would never come completely out.

"Hey! I'm not even halfway done," Bella told him with a wicked grin that drove Jasper almost over the edge of his orgasm just from that alone.

Jasper groaned and Bella continued to lick up and down her right hip, before moving to the left to give it the same treatment.

"I just love your feet," Bella said she kissed and licked the skin of his legs, moving down to his feet after she treated both his legs to her kissing, nips and licks. She started to kiss the top of one foot and then worked her way down to his toes, pushing her tongue in between the digits one at a time and licking them.

"Bella! The general needs you!" Jasper begged even as he was lost in exquisite pleasure as he had only prevented himself from coming so far through sheer will because he didn't want to disappoint his mate by coming to soon. Of course Bella also seemed to know exactly when to stop so he didn't go over the edge and once his climax had subsided a little she continued what she was doing. How Bella knew when to change tactics so that he didn't come right when he thought he was about to go over the edge Jasper hadn't a clue since she didn't have his empathic talent, and it didn't really matter in any case. "My cock needs to be inside your tight, hot, slick, curvy, little body. Please allow me to come! Please!"

Jasper felt absolutely no shame in begging not with his mate anyway. With any other vampire he wouldn't have begged as it would have been demeaning and Jasper Whitlock was to damn proud to beg for whatever the reason, but Bella was a different story entirely. He would beg and plead with her, and feel no shame in doing so, because he knew that his Bella would never make him do anything that he would consider against his conscious or his pride.

That was apparently exactly what Bella had been waiting for as she was on her back on her side of the bed in a split second, her legs spread as wide as they would go in an open invitation. She didn't even have to say anything as Jasper took her change in position as his signal that she was ready, which she was of course. She was more than ready if truth be told, for the burning in her belly was just as painful to her as Jasper's rock hard cock was to him. Also like Jasper's penis which was still dripping steadily, she was so wet and slick inside her pussy that the excess liquid of cum and venom was running out onto the bed soaking the side of the bed she was laying on.

Jasper was on top of Bella in less than a second and moved so fast that even Bella was surprised.

"Anxious are you?" Bella teased, her voice a raspy purr almost dripping with pure desire.

"You have absolutely no idea," Jasper told her as he didn't even need to position the general at his mate's entrance as it knew damn good and well where it belonged, with no direction needed from him.

"Oh yes, I do," Bella told him leaning up for a kiss as Jasper leaned his head down to meet her halfway and at the same time he rammed his cock into what he considered his real home.

He was never more at peace with himself and the world then when the general was inside his mate's body. If they could have walked around connected to each other permanently they would have, but unfortunately that was not possible so they compensated by spending a great deal of time in bed making love instead.

His Bella's pussy was so wet that his cock slid in easily and as soon as he was inside the center of her womanhood his cock almost literally exploded and emptied all the semen and venom it contained, which took a long, long time to finally stop spurting.

"Ah!" Bella sighed in satisfaction as the intense burning and tingling and burning in her belly and pussy finally went out. Jasper laid down on his side facing her his cock still buried in his mate's body, which was fine with him as there was no other place he would rather be. "That's much better."

"Yes, much better," Jasper agreed huskily leaning up enough to kiss the woman he loved tenderly and softly on the lips.

"Thank you, that was spectacular."

"You're welcome," Bella said as she turned on her side and cuddled into her husband's side and Jasper was perfectly content to have her there, so put an arm around her and held her close.

"So how long did we last?" asked Bella finally.

"About two hours and twenty minutes, give or take five minutes or so," Jasper told her as he had remembered to look at the clock before they had begun and right after they had finished.

"Lasted longer then I expected," Bella commented.

"If you can stop us from orgasming that long and you are not even three years old I can hardly wait until you have a little more experience," Jasper told her sincerely his eyes rolling back in his head at the thought.

"I might have been able to last a little longer, but then you had to go and beg me and that was did it for me. The way you pleaded with me...well it was my undoing," Bella admitted sheepishly. "There was just something about your begging... I'm not even exactly sure what it was actually, except it touched something in me that made me give in before I was quite ready."

"I would do it again and will in the future as we will be repeating this experience I assure you," Jasper told her.

"I'm glad you liked it," Bella said.

"Bella, like isn't really a strong enough word," Jasper told her his tone quite serious, but his grin was just a little smug, silly, sexy and as wide as the Grand Canyon all at the same time.

"Than what is a strong enough word?" asked Bella with a raised eyebrow.

"There isn't really one in the English language, but I'll give it a try. My mate, what you did to me was, amazing, mind-blowing, spectacular, awesome, incredible, marvelous, wonderful, stunning, an eye-opening experience,"

"I get the point, Jasper," Bella giggled.

"I did tell you that there wasn't really any words in English language to describe how much I enjoyed what you did to me," Jasper pointed out logically sending Bella his emotions to make sure she knew that he was sincere in his words and wasn't just saying them to make her happy and not hurt her feelings.

The two of them fell silent for awhile then Bella said, "Well at least I no longer feel sloshy."

Jasper laughed at that as Bella's words just seemed to come out of the blue. "Neither do I. I'm not thirsty or anything, but I no longer feel like I overate."

Both fell silent again seeing no reason to talk at all as their was no need for words between them.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

Just over six months later Jasper, Bella, and Melissa moved into their penthouse apartment that Jasper had bought when they had decided to move to Russia. Jasper and Bella had stayed with the Volturi for quite a while, but then finally decided it was time to leave. All three kings had been disappointed as well as most of the guard, but all understood nonetheless why they were leaving. All the Volturi were slightly mollified when Jasper assured them that they would be back for visits as they had made quite a few friends in their time there.

All three of them had already been warned that Russia was a rough country and that they could expect to be robbed or killed just for being foreign by the real estate agent that Jasper had signed the paperwork for the penthouse apartment from.

Before they had left Peter and Charlotte outside of Houston Peter had gotten this weird look that he sometimes got and told the three of them that they would find something in Russia that they couldn't live without as to what that meant none of the three of them had a clue, but then again sometimes Peter's talent was rather mysterious and you never knew what he meant until the event he had predicted was already upon you.

Jasper would have a loved to have moved somewhere in the States or at least somewhere where a large percentage of the population spoke English. It wasn't that he didn't speak a lot of different languages, Russian included, but it was also more dangerous over here then it was in say Sweden or Switzerland. It also wasn't that he didn't believe that the girls couldn't handle themselves and they wouldn't be hurt anyway if somebody tried to kill them it was just that Russia was okay to visit, but not to live in as the Russians, a lot of them anyway, despised foreigners and the harassment was anywhere from petty thievery, to assault, to outright murder.

But really Jasper hadn't had any choice in the matter as when he had mentioned hate crimes were at an all time high in Russia and Bella had been salivating to sink her teeth into that kind of criminal ever since.

Oh well, he could survive here for a few years and then hopefully they would move back to somewhere a little bit more friendly.

"Well shall we go out and start looking around the city?" asked Jasper as soon as all three of them had unpacked which didn't take very long as they all just used vampire speed just to get it over with.

"Sure," Melissa replied. "I'm sure all three of us could use a meal even if we're not starving."

"I could," Bella said. "I might not be starving, but that doesn't mean I couldn't eat. Besides I am ready to start exploring the city and see some of the sites at least."

"It might be a good idea to leave most of you jewelry here in the safe," Jasper said. "It's not that we can't replace it if anything gets stolen, but why take chances?"

Both Melissa and Bella were wearing several pieces of very expensive jewelry. Melissa was wearing several rings made out of gold and platinum with real rubies, emeralds and diamonds in them as well as her Whitlock crest necklace and several bracelets and an expensive watch that had diamonds in place of the numbers.

As for Bella she was also wearing the Whitlock crest, which she almost never took off, several rings also in gold and platinum and also silver one with rubies and diamonds and the other one with obsidian that was turquoise blue with little black veins running through it, really it was quite pretty but not half as valuable as the other rings she was wearing, but she loved it because Jasper had given it to her. She of course was also wearing her engagement and wedding bands, but even with those she wasn't wearing half as many rings as Melissa as she must've been wearing eight or nine at least. Really Melissa's hands looked like a display of expensive rings in a jewelry shop.

As for Bella she never wore as much jewelry as her friend did and she often wondered why Melissa didn't just wear two or three rings at a time instead of practically one on each finger.

Well hopefully it was just a stage she was going through and soon she wouldn't be practically a walking clinking jewelry shop practically begging to be robbed or maybe that was what Melissa wanted was for somebody trying to rob her so she could have a clear conscious about drinking their blood.

Bella figuratively shook her head as the three of them exited the penthouse after leaving most of their jewelry in the safe and headed out to explore some of the streets of what was Moscow Russia.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

"Some of the architecture is really amazing," Bella said she studied the buildings.

"Yes, yes it is," Jasper said, "there's a lot of history in Moscow as well as St. Petersburg, which are the two largest cities in Russia. There is a lot of history in the whole country really."

"So do you know where we can go to get us a meal?" asked Melissa as the silence stretched all.

"No, I'm not really familiar with Russia," Jasper said, "that's why it was such a good idea for us to explore the city before we really are hungry then attack someone innocent, like a child and yes I'm aware that isn't why you suggested it, but I would have if you hadn't done so first."

Melissa closed her mouth with a snap and then looked rueful as she realized that Jasper really did know her all too well and therefore could predict what she was going to say or do a lot of the time.

Bella snickered at the other twos antics and Jasper responded by putting his arm around Bella's shoulders and pulling her close to him.

"If you still going to get all lovey-dovey I'll go explore the city on my own," Melissa said looking a little put out even though she knew that they were married and married couples showed affection to each other, especially those that were deeply in love like her two friends.

"I don't think it's a good idea for you to go off on your own until we know little bit more about the city," Jasper told Melissa calmly refusing to removed his arm from his wife's shoulders. "Yes, I'm very well aware that you're old enough to look after yourself and that you are not going to be hurt by a mere human, but still you might get yourself into some kind of trouble that you can't get out of on your own. What if you are surrounded by the group of thugs or something? There are a lot of hate groups out there especially towards foreigners."

"It's not like 10 or even 20 humans are going to hurt me," Melissa protested.

"Yes, that's true, but what if they figure out what you are or just that you aren't completely human? I know that's unlikely as vampires are a myth as are werewolves, shapeshifters and any other intelligent 'alien'." The way Jasper said alien it was obvious that parentheses were surrounding the word and also told the other two what Jasper thought of the idea that humans would think that vampires or any other intelligent lifeform that walked, talked or breathed the same air they did and was born on this planet was alien. Humans weren't the only intelligent life on Earth after all or at least that was what a small percentage of humans believed although they were mostly ignored or thought of as crackpots. "On the other hand you never know what some humans are going to see or what kinds of conclusions that the human brain is going to leap to. Even if they don't figure out what you are they can still chase you and yes I know you can eventually make your way back, but we would be worried for all that time you know and we would also immediately have to move and although I'm not as adverse to that idea as you my think I would like to at least have a few years here before we have to do that."

Suddenly Jasper's hand shot out at lightning speed and grabbed the human that had been trying to pick their pockets without them noticing.

"Well look at what we have here?" Jasper said as he pulled the human into view. Jasper studied him and noticed that he looked about 30 although he apparently wasn't very prosperous as he was wearing rags and was quite thin as if he didn't eat regularly.

"Please sir, don't hurt me," the man begged in broken English realizing he had just made quite possibly the last mistake of his miserable life. He had believed for a short time anyway that these foreigners would be easy targets and yet he had never been more mistaken and that mistake was probably going to cost him his life as he saw now that all three both the man and the two women walked like predators and that they were something other than human as there was no possible way that the man should have been able to move like he was greased lightning as that kind of speed wasn't humanly impossible, not even if you had adrenalin running through your veins.

Jasper looked around and seeing that there was no one on this particular street as the street was narrow and no more then an alley or path really so he picked the man up off his feet and held him against the wall of the nearest building without any trouble at all no matter how much the man struggled.

"Well shall we teach this would-be thief a lesson?" asked Jasper his voice as hard as steel as he hated thieves in particular due to the environment he had grown up in. In the 1840's when he had been born civilization was a lot harder on a thief then they were in this day and age. In that century thieves were often hung on the gallows or if it was a first offense had there hand cut off. A man without two hands in his time was immediately known as a thief and it was impossible to find work because honest people wouldn't hire someone so classified because the would be thief might steal food from the mouths of their families.

Melissa and Bella looked at each other and then nodded, for they had known that the man was following them and had seen when he tried to pick their pockets even if it looked like they weren't paying attention.

"So who gets him?" Bella asked casually with no hint of remorse or sympathy in her voice, causing the would-be thief to whimper as he realized that he was looking at his death.

"It kind of depends on which one of you is thirstier," Jasper said as he looked between Bella and Melissa.

"You can have him," Bella told her friend without regret as although she was kind of thirsty her throat wasn't too bad yet.

"Thanks," Melissa replied, gratefully.

Jasper released the man and Melissa was on him sinking her teeth into his neck starting to drain him dry all within seconds.

It didn't take long to drain the underfed man dry as he was not exactly the healthiest of specimens and so Melissa was done in just a minute or so.

"Thanks, Bella, I needed that," Melissa told her friend.

"You're welcome. So what are we going to do with the body?" asked Bella as she kicked the man in the side of the head even though he couldn't feel it as he was dead hard enough to cause it to cave inwards.

Jasper looked around for inspiration and then came up with an idea of how to dispose of the body so that nobody would ever find it or if they did it would be quite unidentifiable.

After that grisly task was done Jasper wiped off his hands and the three of them continued their walk with no one the wiser for what they had done.

"You know we probably just could've left the body there," Bella commented quietly as the three of them continued tour the city on their own feet seeing where they would be living for the next few years. "I don't believe that even if we had just left the body right there, there was any way that it could be tracked back to us and I doubt the police really would have cared once they discovered the body was just a thief."

"You never know," Jasper said with a shrug, "so even though it was more work for us it's always better to do what you normally do to get rid of the evidence then have it tracked back to you. I know that no human could harm us but why cause trouble for ourselves if we don't have to?"

"You're right," Bella admitted as she gave Jasper a kiss on the cheek.

"Besides what Peter told us before we came here worries me a little and until we discover what it is he meant then we don't need to leave this country, so it is best to keep as low a profile as possible."

"He's never been wrong?" asked Melissa with a raised eyebrow that Jasper saw despite the fact that he was looking straight ahead and Melissa was walking beside him.

"Not in all the years since I changed him and he developed his talent although I will admit that while most of the time his predictions come true within just a few days or weeks at most there has been a time or two where his prediction didn't come true for about 5 to 15 years," Jasper told Melissa.

"Man, that's a pretty far-reaching talent if he can predict something even if he can't tell you what it is 5 to 15 or so years in advance," Melissa commented impressed.

"Most of the time his predictions come true within a couple of days or a week or two at most, Jasper said with a shrug. "Getting hints that far into the future tires him out though or didn't you notice how his eyes went from red to completely black after he told us that that we would find something we could not live without. When his eyes stayed black I knew that his prediction was at least a year if not five or more in the future. When Peter normally makes prediction and if it is going to come true within a year or so his eyes stay red, but if it's any longer than that his eyes stay black until he has fed and he still seems a little tired for a few days even after unless he gouges and drinks more then he normally does. It's as if something vital drains right out of him as if in getting his hunches he is also telling us what is going to happen in the future so that we are more on guard then we normally are just in case it is something bad that we need to watch out for. He has to take more blood then he normally would when he does get his hunches if they are ones that aren't going to happen for a year or more."

"It sounds like a pretty vague talent as he doesn't actually see the future," Bella commented.

"Seeing the future isn't all it's cracked up to be," Jasper told Bella gently. "Remember Alice can see the future and she uses it for every little thing. I truly believe that Peter's hunches are coming from something he can somehow sense and then subconsciously translate into his hunches that he just somehow knows how to interpret. I'm not exactly completely sure how Peter's talent works, just that it does, and that whenever he gets one of his hunches he is never wrong and since he has saved my life or gotten me out of a few bad situations because of them I'm not going to complain and in fact be grateful that Peter has his talent and that I was the one that changed him or I wouldn't have had those warnings. Besides I wouldn't be surprised in the least if when it gets closer to the time that the event he predicted is about to happen if he doesn't have another hunch and calls us to tell us about it. I've noticed that the way Peter's hunches work is that sometimes he'll get a series of them. He'll get one warning years before the actual event happens and then he'll get another hunch closer to time and the second hunch usually comes with a little bit more information."

"So his talent is still useful even if it's just hunches," Bella commented changing her opinion.

"It is a useful talent and one thing that I really like about it is that there is no way for Peter to misuse it like Alice misuses hers as his hunches come at random times and sometimes he'll go months or a year and not get a hunch it all."

The three of them continued to walk the street then eventually Bella and Jasper found themselves meals and once they had they headed back to their penthouse apartment.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

"I have a surprise for you," Bella said as she and Jasper entered their bedroom the penthouse.

It was three months later and the three vampire had been quite busy exploring the city of Moscow in Russia and getting to know the territory. They had even explored the sewers in case they ever had to escape the city that way, which all three hoped they didn't as the sewers were gross, disgusting and stank even more to a vampire's nose then it would to a human's. However, it was good to know several escape routes just in case of trouble.

"What's that?" Jasper asked as he felt his mate's and emotions which were secretive, but also filled with anticipation.

"Well I've been saving something special for when we were alone," Bella told him with a wink, "and since you are finally allowing Melissa to go out on her own I figure this was the time to spring the surprise I've been holding back on you."

"What is the surprise?" asked Jasper eagerly now as Bella surprises were always something to look forward to.

Bella smiled at Jasper's reaction and a little nervously undid the belt of her lounging robe which went all the way to her feet and was made of soft, thick cashmere. As soon as the belt was undone the front of the deep blue robe fell open to display what was underneath and as soon as Jasper saw the bluish gray piece of lingerie that Bella was wearing with lace at the bottom, and under each breast, with a plunging neckline that showed her lovely, slim neck had him sucking in a breath as his mate looked so damn sexy and beautiful in it that it just made him want to attack her right there and rip that flimsy piece of cloth off his Bella's gorgeous, lithe, curvy body.

"See something you like?" asked Bella in a throaty, seductive whisper the instantly had Jasper's mouth going dry. Bella swayed her hips back and forth so seductively that had Jasper following the movement, with just his eyes alone, which were slowly turning from red to black.

Bella walked seductively over to the bed only a few feet away quite aware of her husband's intense, lustful, greedy gaze boring into her back and laid down on the bed after dropping the robe to the floor and displayed her assets very provocatively for her mate. Bella looked at him with a come-hither look in her red eyes already soaking wet down in pussy. The smell of his Bella's arousal had Jasper reacting instantly as his eyes instantly went completely black with desire and lust and he was on his mate in less then a second ripping the lacy cloth that was the lingerie right off until it was nothing more than scraps of material.

Jasper stood up after he had ripped the lingerie of his mate's body and speedily took his own clothes off so he was just as naked. Once Jasper had thrown his clothes into a corner not really caring where they landed he stood up straight his six foot four inch frame as naked as the day he was born, but the shining glory was his already erect cock that was already dripping cum onto the floor where Jasper was standing from the tip.

"Well this was quite the surprise," Jasper said huskily already breathing heavily with lust and desire as he pounced on his mate and began to kiss, lick, and nip all the way up and down Bella's beautiful, gorgeous body. "It was a wonderful surprise, but a surprise nonetheless. However I will certainly not object if you want to surprise me like this again sometime in the future as that would be very stupid of me to discourage you from such displays and I am certainly not a stupid man I assure you."

"It was meant to be a surprise and I am happy you liked it," Bella said even as she moaned at the way Jasper was making her feel.

"Like isn't really a strong enough word and in fact I'm not sure there is a word strong enough in the English language for how much I really like and appreciate your little display. Also I suppose you knew that it wouldn't last as soon as I saw it," Jasper asked raising his head just long enough from where he kissing his way up and down his mate's body to ask his question. "About two seconds if my count is right."

"I was counting on it actually," Bella told him even as she panted as her climax began to rapidly build. "When I bought it Melissa told me that it wouldn't last two seconds once you saw it and I believe I replied that, that was the point and that it didn't matter if you ripped it to shreds as there were plenty more where those came from."

Bella was quite pleased at Jasper's reaction to the lingerie that she had bought at the mall in Billings as this was the first time she had actually had the opportunity to try it even though it had been bought months ago. In fact in her humble opinion his reaction had been over the top and that was a very good thing as far as she was concerned. The reason that she had never tried out the lingerie she had bought was simply that she and Jasper had never been alone long enough for her to test it out, well, except when they had been on their honeymoon, but with Melissa out on her own for a few hours Bella had figured this was the perfect time to do so and she had been right as Jasper was not only still treating her body as if it was the most beautiful, sexiest thing he had ever seen he was also sending her his emotions which made sure she knew how much he appreciated her effects, although they really weren't necessary. The waves of lust, love, greed and many other emotions that were going through her body were so strong that they left her tingling all over and would have certainly knocked her unconscious if she had still been human, which she wasn't thank goodness.

"You bought more?" asked Jasper eagerly raising his lips just enough above Bella's skin for him to be able to talk. The lustful, greedy gleam in his black eyes, pleased Bella no end as she knew that look was for her alone and that her mate thought she was the most beautiful, sexiest woman in the world which also gave her self-esteem a massive boost. If there was one thing Bella still struggled with occasionally it was her low self-esteem where it concerned her looks, which her now dead mother was responsible for Bella knew. She acted self-confident whenever she had gone out on a date when she had been human and that was enough to fool most people including Melissa, but she couldn't fool Jasper thanks to his empathic ability. Bella admitted if only to herself that Jasper had gone out of his way over the last few years to boost her low self-esteem and had done wonders for her, but every so often Bella still had doubts about her desirability, which Jasper was always quick to get rid of.

"Oh yes, I bought a dozen in different colors and styles and that many should last us for quite a while," Bella admitted her constant doubts about her looks pushed aside for now. "I don't plan on wearing them to often as I don't want them to lose there wow factor. There are for special occasions only."

Jasper looked disappointed although he could understand where Bella was coming from. He began looking forward to the next time she wore something that showed off her body to perfection and made him even more horny than he already was, which he had believed to be impossible as he already desired his mate all the time. Besides as much as he enjoyed the visual stimulation he didn't really need to see his Bella in a sexy, lacy piece of cloth in order to get him in the mood as he was always in the mood to fuck his mate up, down and sideways all the time. To him his Bella was the most sexy, desirable, gorgeous woman, human or vampire in the world and he would never need or want anyone else. Jasper pushed the general into her gently, almost tenderly and released his cum into her while at the same time using a finger to find her clit and start rubbing circles on it which caused Bella to come a lot harder then she expected and in fact the climax was so strong that Bella's hands which were already clutching Jasper's shoulders for support actually left imprints of her nails on the skin.

Normally Bella tried not to give Jasper anymore scars, except for their mating marks as although she loved every single one on her husband's body she knew that Jasper hated them and so tried to not add to his already vast collection.

"Don't be upset about the fingernail marks, love," Jasper told her feeling how upset Bella was because of the marks she had left on his shoulders. "I don't really mind scars, so long as they are from you and I will always treasure them because you gave them to me. So long as my scars do not bother you, they will no longer bother me either."

"But you hate your scars," Bella said.

"I hate the scars I got while fighting in the Southern Wars," Jasper corrected, "but I could never hate the ones you give me because they were not done out of malicious and hate, but because you were lost in the heat of passion and couldn't control your reaction, which pleases me very much by the way. It make me happy that you allow yourself to let go completely in me, letting go of your doubts about your desirability and also knowing I would never do anything to hurt you so that you don't hold back any of your reactions or feelings for me. Besides it isn't so much the scars themselves I hate, but what they represent and that is violence, greed, animosity and hate."

"I see," said Bella in understanding. "I don't think I could hold back—even if I wanted to—which I don't—the reactions you bring out in me."

"Good," Jasper said extremely pleased with his mate's answer. "Besides I stopped hating my scars sometime ago as they do serve a purpose and so long as you find me desirable, scars and all then there is no reason anymore to hate what the Southern Wars did to me."

"I will always desire you, scars and all," Bella assured him leaning up to give him a kiss on the lips. "Just looking at your body makes me so aroused that I can barely stand the pressure."

"Good," said Jasper extremely pleased at Bella's words. "I love you too and I want you to know how deep my feelings of love for you run, which are very, very deep indeed."

Jasper gave Bella a kiss on the lips to let her know that he felt the same way about her that she felt about him.

Besides, Bella thought she hadn't been lying as she really did see where Jasper was coming from where his scars were concerned and Jasper had known that since you couldn't really lie to an empath. Jasper had been changed into a vampire simply because one woman wanted newborns in order to fight for feeding territory, which was a ridiculous reason to kill so many humans to turn into vampires, just to burn most of them a year later so far as Bella was concerned, but then again Maria had been more than a little insane according to Jasper. That Jasper had survived was more due to him, his skills and survival instincts then it was to Maria who had been nothing more than a parasite who had had others do her dirty work for her not caring if they lived or died and in fact most of the newborn vamps were put to death after a year. Luckily Maria was no longer alive thanks to a vampire that none of her family had ever met named Dylan. Maybe some day though they would meet so that Bella could thank him for what he had done as the death of Maria had allowed Jasper to relax and not always be looking over his shoulder in case of an ambush.

"And now, my gorgeous Bella back to what we were doing," said Jasper seductively.

Bella nodded eagerly not bothering to argue that she was hardly gorgeous since Jasper would disagree with her if she voiced her thoughts. To Jasper she was the most gorgeous, sexy creature in the world as far as he was concerned and he would not listen to any arguments to the contrary. Bella supposed it didn't matter how she viewed herself so long as Jasper thought she was beautiful and desirable.

Jasper began making love to his mate again just loving the little sounds of her whimpers and squeals as her orgasm began to rise once more.

"I believe it is now my turn to do to you what you always do to me," Bella said some minutes later as soon as her third orgasm had subsided. "I am after all a dutiful wife and a man has needs just like a woman does. Besides I love to just lick up all the cum that comes leaking out of the tip of the general as to me anyway you taste absolutely divine and delicious and I can't seem to get enough of your taste. Also I love licking your testicles and feeling your cock sliding down my throat is also an exquisite pleasure and one I look forward to taking advantage of as often as possible."

"You're welcome to take advantage of me as you put it as often as you like as I can never get enough of you doing those things to me either," Jasper groaned as just watching Bella licking her lips with her tongue her eyes black with desire was a very sensual and exhilarating experience.

As for Bella, she just loved making Jasper purr in pleasure and scream her name when she did the same thing to him that he always did to her.

Jasper groaned again as he imagined the intense pleasure that was about to come. He just absolutely loved all the things his mate did to him and it was never very long before he was purring like an in tune car engine and not long after that he couldn't keep himself from whimpering and then finally screaming Bella's name. A lot of men tried not to scream the woman they were fucking name as they thought that made them look weak, but Jasper had absolutely no problem with screaming his mate's name as heartstopping pleasure was coursing through him because he loved Bella and he wanted her to know that she affected him just like he did her as it did wonders for her self-esteem and confidence every time he did scream her name during there very frequent lovemaking sessions. Of course other men weren't actually in love with the women they were having sex with so that had a lot to do with it as well, Jasper knew. As for him, he loved Bella more and more every hour of every day so that was not a problem for him as he would scream her name all day if he could.

Jasper gladly moved over to the other side of the bed, laying flat on his back to give his Bella easy access to his body as he wasn't about to protest what his mate was about to do to him and in fact was more than looking forward to it. The general was already standing at attention in anticipation knowing what was about to occur as if it had a mind of it's own.

"I see you're all ready for me, good," Bella mumbled softly having not been expecting anything else as she knew that Jasper loved to have her play with his cock and balls as they did it quite often.

"Where you are concerned I am always ready," Jasper assured his mate, while both him and his demon gladly and enthusiastically acceded control to the woman they both loved with their whole beings.

Jasper and the Major both knew without a doubt that they could trust Bella with anything, including access to the most vulnerable part of a vampire and that was the neck and she would not betray them. Neither of the parts that made up Jasper Whitlock had to fear her tearing his head off like they had with Maria. Now Maria was one vampire you had to watch every second just to make sure she didn't get you permanently killed, but Bella was the exact opposite of her by being loving, kind, sweet, genuinely caring and many other things besides.

"Just as I am always ready for you," Bella assured him before she gently licked up and down her mate's very large, already engorged penis savoring not only the taste, but the reaction Jasper always had every time she did this, which was quite often.

Jasper purred and growled as Bella continued her treatment the sounds gradually getting louder and louder the longer Bella took.

"Bella! You are killing me here!" Jasper groaned not really meaning it although the sensations running through him were while very pleasant were getting stronger and more intense every second and in fact it was almost stronger then he could stand. The intensity of his rapidly building climax was such that it was not only a very pleasurable sensation, but also a very painful one as there was only so much pressure a man could take.

Bella didn't respond verbally, but gave Jasper a seductive wink and continued licking the tip of his cock and swallowing every drop of cum it produced, not allowing any to escape as it was just to delicious to let go to waste.

Jasper's fingers dug down into the mattress hard enough that they began to go through the cloth, the cotton and the metal springs with no trouble at all, leaving ten finger sized holes, five on opposites sides of his body, not that either of them really cared as they could always buy a new mattress or just leave it like it was as the only time it would be used was to make love since vampires didn't need to sleep in order to refresh their bodies and minds.

Jasper purred again and continued to purr continuously as Bella not only ran her tongue over his entire cock, but also started using one hand to fondle his balls, which caused Jasper's orgasm to rapidly build to yet unfelt and untapped heights and he knew very well that he was on the very cusp of going over. Bella removed her tongue from Jasper's cock only to move over to lick his balls slowly, seeming to savor the taste which Jasper thought was one of the most sensual things he had ever seen as Bella's eyes were closed and she was purring softly in pleasure. The sensation of Bella's tongue on his testicles was to much for Jasper and he roared his mate's name as he came directly into Bella's mouth as she had moved it off his balls and had it back around his cock in a split second and just in time it seemed for it wasn't even half a second later that Jasper's orgasm came out of the tip of his penis in a long thick stream of seed that seemed to last forever, but only lasted almost exactly a minute which was still an awfully long time for a man's penis to spurt semen. Even after the cum quit streaming into Bella's mouth it continued to spurt for almost another thirty seconds before the general was totally empty and flaccid. Bella licked the tip one more time just to make sure she hadn't missed any of Jasper's exquisite seed and then released it, where it immediately stood at attention again ready for another round.

"Damn!" Jasper panted heavily finally uncurling his fingers from the holes he had made in the mattress and flexing them to make sure they were still in working order. "What you do to me woman! I've never had such intense orgasms in my life and if I wasn't a damn vampire we would eventually kill each other as our climaxes are bound to get stronger and stronger the longer we are together. If you can do this to me now and you aren't even four years old, I just love to think what you will be able to do once you are fifty or a hundred.

Jasper's eyes rolled back in his head as he thought about how strong his orgasms were likely to become five hundred years down the road and if he had been human he would have fainted right there just from his imagination alone. He knew however the his imagination would definitely pale to the actual reality and that made it so that he could hardly wait.

"I can hardly wait," Bella said her own eyes going completely black as her imagination ran wild with sex scenarios each better than the last. Jasper was never wrong about things like that and in fact he was hardly ever wrong at all, which came from his vast years of experience Bella knew. Her and Jasper had already discussed months ago how the bond they shared would continue to deepen the longer they were together and Bella was sure that had a lot to do with the reason both their orgasms were so strong and would only continue to get stronger the more they practiced and they practiced a lot.

"Neither can I," Jasper said his sincerity more than obvious.

Bella giggled at Jasper's tone and said, playfully, "Sex fiend, that's what you are."

"Where you are concerned, definitely," Jasper agreed immediately not even bothering to deny it, "and don't bother to tell me that you are not also a sex fiend as well as you initiate the sex just as often as I do no matter where we are."

"That's true," Bella admitted not at all ashamed or embarrassed. "I just can't seem to let you out of my sight for more than a few hours and I have even more trouble keeping my hands off you even when Melissa or anybody else is in the same room."

"The need to keep each other in sight will eventually fade as you know," Jasper said calmly as he stroked one hand through his mate's soft, silky hair. "As for the fact of neither of us being able to keep our hands to ourselves that will die done some as well, but we will always feel the most relaxed and comfortable when we are actually touching, even if it is just holding hands."

"I know, I've noticed that something in me always relaxes when we are are actually touching, no matter the degree. It can be just a couple of fingertips or you can have your arm around me because it really makes no difference just so long as there is some contact."

Jasper nodded in agreement and the two of them lay in the bed sated for the moment talking quietly.

Bella then noticed the holes the in the mattress from Jasper's fingers and said serious tone, but with a twinkle in her eyes, "Wow! I must have really affected you for you to lose control enough to do that to the mattress. Usually you are the epitome of control."

"You have absolutely no idea the effect you have on me," Jasper told her quite seriously giving Bella's forehead a tender kiss. "You are the only woman I've ever known that make me lose control of myself so easily as I have always been able to prevent little accidents like this one with the other women I have been with over the years. I know for a fact that it has to do with the fact that we are mates as my climaxes with other the women I have been were mere ghosts compared to the ones you give me without even seeming to try and I can't wait until you have a few more decades under you belt as both our orgasms will only get better and stronger not only from the bond deepening, but also with the amount of practice we put in."

"Well, we've practiced a lot over the last few years and I can already see vast improvements from when we first started having sex. Both of us last longer for one thing instead of coming after just a few minutes," Bella observed. "It's nice to know that both of our techniques will only continue get better and better the more time and effect we put into them. As for those other woman you had sex with I don't like to even think of you being with any other women that isn't me," Bella practically growled her red eyes flashing angrily. "And yes, I know that those women were before I was in the picture but that doesn't mean I don't feel like ripping their eyes out at least and yes, that includes Alice."

"That is only natural," Jasper assured her soothingly. "Believe me I feel the same about the young men you dated before you met me and not only would I rip their eyes out of their skulls I would then dismember them a piece at a time and then drain the blood that was left. It is okay and perfectly natural to feel angry at the other women I had sex with, but I am yours and only yours now. I didn't really have a relationship with those woman anyway, except Alice, for it was just sex and none of them lasted very long except Maria, but I really didn't have any choice there for she was very demanding and used to being obeyed. Not obeying whatever she wanted would have meant more trouble than I was prepared for back then and it might even have meant my permanent death if she was in a particularly bad mood."

Bella shuddered at that as she knew that Jasper was speaking nothing but the truth as he would never lie to her or try to keep her in the dark about his past or anything really important and no that didn't include things like surprise trips or presents as those kind of things didn't count.

"I know I've said it before, but it bears repeating and that is Maria was a nasty piece of work and I'm glad she was caught and burned so she can't interfere in our lives or try to come between us."

"So am I," Jasper said sincerely kissing Bella on the lips gently. "If anyone deserved death she did for all the humans she turned into vampires and then killed after a year and that doesn't even include when she forced me to take over after she decided to keep me around after my newborn year. I know those hundred, perhaps thousands of deaths are on my soul, but Maria is the one that forced the job onto me and no one dared tell her no if they wanted to live that is."

"If you don't mind let's talk about something more pleasant then that bitch that created you. Don't misunderstand me I am glad she turned you into a vampire since I would never have met you otherwise, but I still wish that she had never been turned into a vampire and that you had never had to practically be her slave. If only you had been turned by someone with better morals you wouldn't have all those vampires deaths on your conscious, not to mention that you were the one that was forced to change all those humans into vampires in the first place as Maria was just to lazy to do her own dirty work once she had you to do it for her."

"It is what it is," Jasper said sounding philosophical, "and no I don't mind switching the subject. Thank you for loving me."

"I couldn't do anything else," Bella assured him. "Your past doesn't matter and you are a very different man today then you were back then, but even if you were the same I would still love you."

Jasper felt at more peace at Bella's statement than he ever had since he had been turned into a vampire and since he didn't think he could actually put his feelings into any words that would make sense he sent her his emotions instead and that caused Bella to lean over to kiss his lips tenderly and lovingly before putting her head on his chest with a feeling of contentment.

Jasper ran a hand up and down his mate's smooth, soft silky back, and worked his way slowly down to her absolutely exquisite, perfect, gorgeous butt cupping one of the cheeks kneading it softly causing Bella to purr.

"Oh that feels so good," Bella sighed sounding almost sleepy. "You're welcome to keep it up for as long as you want."

"I'll be happy to as there is nothing I like more than touching your silky skin for it is so soft that it sends very pleasant sensations through my own body," Jasper said sounding almost dreamy. "Besides I love touching you as just feeling your skin through my fingertips is so sensual."

"I never knew you were so poetic," Bella said trying not to let herself feel how touched she was at Jasper's description of her.

"I can be very poetic under the right circumstances," Jasper assured her, "and I have centuries to prove it to you."

"I'm looking forward to it," Bella told him trying to keep her voice even and her emotions centered.

Jasper continued to run his finger over his mate's butt for a minute until he had touched and traced every square inch cupping both cheeks before moving down to her legs which he actually had to lean up to reach and continued his treatment with the back of them. Jasper slowly traced a finger down the center of her right leg until he reached the back of her knee, where he slowly licked the sensitive skin with his tongue causing Bella to jerk in reaction.

"Whoah! What did you do? That wasn't your finger."

"No it was my tongue. The back of your knees just looked so delicious and delectable that I just couldn't resist tasting them. You taste absolutely heavenly by the way, like strawberries and cream. I hope you don't mind," Jasper said already knowing the answer.

"No, you can continue what you were doing if you want," Bella assured her mate quickly relaxing again. "You just took me by surprise, that's all. By the way thank you for the compliment, although the reason I smell like strawberries and cream is because of the soap I use in the bath as well as the body lotion I use on my skin occasionally."

"Is that why you smell so good?" asked Jasper rhetorically as he knew what Bella used in the shower right down to the brand name of the product. Jasper would have to be totally dense not to notice what shampoo and soap his mate used on a regular basis and unobservant he was not. Besides it would be kind of hard to miss the bottles of shampoo and the cake of soap on the rim of the bathtub since they sat right next to his own, not to mention the lotion that sat on Bella's dresser along with her makeup and several bottles of different perfumes as well as his cologne.

"And just so you know I'm always full of surprises or at least I am where you are concerned," Jasper told her sounding quite serious as he continued his treatment of kissing and licking every inch of the hollow behind her knees.

"Don't I know it," Bella muttered softly pretending to be annoyed although she knew that Jasper knew better thanks to his empathic ability.

Jasper chuckled although it was muffled as he was still pressing kisses and licks to the back of her legs

"You should never be surprised by anything I do where you are concerned as my imagination is always thinking up new and interesting ways to please you and no they don't always involve us naked having sex like crazed monkeys on various pieces of furniture, although at least 95% of them do."

Bella chuckled at Jasper's statement thinking that her husband had quite a way with words. Making out like crazed monkeys was pretty, damn funny if you asked her, Bella thought her lips twitching trying to contain her chuckles. Of course all her friends from when she was human had always told he that she had a weird and twisted sense of humor or at at least she vaguely remembered her few friends telling her that on several occasions including Melissa.

"I'm glad my descriptions amuse you," Jasper teased her gently lifting his mouth form her skin just long enough to speak before replacing it exactly where it been only a second before not seeming to be able to get enough of the taste of his mate's skin as his Bella tasted heavenly or at least she did to him. This was at least partly the products she used Jasper knew, but the rest of it was pure Bella and he could just never seem to get enough of the taste of his mate. Why Bella felt as if she had to slather herself with products that took away from her natural taste baffled Jasper, not that he didn't appreciate the taste of strawberries and cream, but he would still have liked to taste his wife's skin with none of the products she used getting in the way. Maybe he should mention it to her, Jasper mused as he continued kissing and licking Bella's soft skin.

"What can I say except you sometimes have a way with words and my few human friends used to say that I had a weird and twisted sense of humor or at least I vaguely remember that they did," said Bella, pulling Jasper out of his thoughts.

Jasper continued his route and it wasn't long before he reached he beautiful, small, delicate feet which he enjoyed kissing every inch of including sticking his tongue in between every digit and giving the skin a lick with his tongue.

Bella shivered, but not because she was cold, but because Jasper's mouth and tongue was causing such exquisitely pleasant, yet painful sensations. Another orgasm was building within her and she hadn't even really realized it until now as it had been building so slowly.

"I like your sense of humor as it is a lot like my own," Jasper said, before continuing what he had been doing.

Bella didn't respond as by this point she was panting rather heavily from the exquisite sensations that continued to build up higher then they ever had and Bella knew when she finally went over the edge her climax would be stronger and last longer then anything she had felt to date and she could hardly wait although it was certainly a good thing that she was now unable to be knocked unconscious as if she had still been human and had such strong waves of pleasure going through her like a rocket she would have been knocked out in no time.

"I can feel you are reaching the peak of your climax," Jasper murmured softly as he finished kissing every single one of her toes before moving back up to her soft, round butt and sticking his tongue into Bella's anus licking up every bit of delicious wetness that he found there, including the trail of liquid that had leaked out of his wife's hiney hole and was sliding down her left butt cheek.

As soon as Jasper's tongue touched the inside of her anus and started licking up the liquid there Bella's body bucked even higher off the bed then she had done any other time during Jasper's treatment.

"Jasper!" Bella groaned wondering how she had gotten so damn lucky to get such a talented man as her husband and mate.

"Patience, my Bella and you will soon be rewarded," Jasper told her softly before continuing what he had been doing.

Patience! The man wants me to have patience when he is slowly torturing me to death through pure pleasure! Bella thought in amused exasperation even as she purred again as exquisite sensations of not only pleasure, but pain, lust and love went through her entire body from the bottom of her feet to the top of her head. The man of course who was responsible for those sensations was her husband and mate Jasper Whitlock who was continuing his kisses, licks and nips without bothering to stop for breath, since vampires didn't need to breath.

Jasper was so good at what he did and because he was taking his time Bella's pussy was so wet that most of the liquid had leaked out onto the bed soaking the sheets, not that either of them really cared if the sheets were ruined since they could always buy more.

"Finish it Jasper," Bella pleaded in a ragged tone of voice lifting her head gazing into her love's red eyes from where it was laying on a pillow. "I'm so close, so very close and it won't take much more to make me come."

"No, it won't as you are right on the edge, aren't you, love?" Jasper asked rhetorically, knowing very well that it wouldn't take much at all to send his mate over the edge of the proverbial cliff and into ecstasy.

"Yes, as you very well know," Bella said her voice muffled from where it was buried in the pillow since she was laying her stomach and had been for quite some time.

"Your wish is my command, my mate," Jasper said sticking his tongue back into Bella's hiney hole and continuing his treatment. "Making you beg me to let you climax is one of my greatest pleasures in this life."

"I'll beg and plead all you want just so long as finish it," Bella told him without a hint of shame. "Please Jasper, please finish it!" Bella begged her voice ragged as she was panting quite heavily. "I'm begging you, please have mercy on me and my poor abused body! I'm not sure how much more my body can take!"

Jasper grinned pleased with his wife's begging flipping Bella onto her back and in a split second ramming himself inside her—hard—very, very hard as he could hold back his own release no longer thanks to Bella's begging. Jasper immediately released his seed as the general was leaking so badly that the semen ran down it and onto the sheets of the bed. Also he Jasper Whitlock was holding onto his control by the thinnest of threads and that meant he didn't have time to thrust even once before releasing his cum into his mate's body. The general spurted into Bella's pussy for quite along time before finally going limp for a few seconds before hardening again while still inside his mate's body.

Jasper's release of his seed caused Bella to climax so hard that she was still feeling waves of hard, exquisite pleasure for an hour afterwards. Bella finally opened her eyes, which she had closed in order to ride out her climax and when her extremely intense, long orgasm finally subsided—or at least she thought it had subsided—until she accidentally closed her legs and that instantly caused her to go over the edge again and climax almost as hard and long a second time.

"Damn!" Bella exclaimed in amazement when she could finally speak, which was a long time later.

Jasper smirked as he had been watching his mate lost in pleasure and it had made him ecstatic that he had this effect on his Bella.

"You are one talented vampire, Jasper Whitlock and you are all mine!" Bella told him playfully already knowing that he belonged to her heart and soul.

"I am indeed," Jasper replied very seriously, "just as you are mine!"

"Indeed I am," Bella told him rolling over onto her side to kiss his nose tenderly and than his lips. "I am forever yours."

Jasper sighed in contentment and laid his head between Bella's breast as soon as she had rolled onto her back. With his head between his mate's breast his nose was pressed into the side of one of them, which meant he was close enough to smell the luscious scent of her skin as well as feel the soft, silkiness of it and that made Jasper Whitlock as well as the Major both happy men.

"I suppose we had better get up and get dressed," Bella said reluctantly after over an hour of silence as both were just content to lay there and enjoy each other's company since their urges were more than satisfied for the moment. In fact even the Major was sated, and that was very unusual as the demon within Jasper was most of the time more horny then Jasper himself. "Melissa is going to be home soon and we really should spend some time with her."

Jasper groaned and than sheepishly admitted. "I know we do need to spend some time with her, but I really don't want to move at the moment as I am very comfortable and so relaxed that my muscles feel like water."

Bella silently smirked at Jasper's words feeling very pleased with herself for causing that kind of reaction in the vampire she loved.

"Me either, but you know we don't want Melissa to feel left out and we've been making love continuously for almost 24 hours straight and you did tell Melissa to be back to check in with us every twenty-four hours just so we know she's alright. I'm sure Melissa needs a shower and a change of clothes by now before she heads out again."

"All right fine," Jasper sighed exasperated even though he knew very well that Bella was right.

"You're right and we do have a responsibility, although I would be perfectly happy to lay here for the next day or two. Besides as soon as Melissa checks in we need to go hunting."

"So we do," Bella agreed as the back of her throat began to burn. "I suppose making love for so long will do that to you," she added with a smirk as she thought about the last 24 hours.

"Yes, as even I need to feed and I am much older than you are. We expanded quite a bit of energy and we need to replenish that if we want to do it again in the very near future."

Bella smirked at Jasper having no objection to spending 24 more hours in bed with her amazing mate, but she also wanted to explore some more of the city if at all possible, although that didn't have to be today or even next week, so long as they did eventually do that. Besides Bella was well aware that hers and Jasper's mating bond was still relatively new as if wasn't even five years old yet and that a lot of physical contact helped deepen that bond. Of course that physical contact didn't have to take place through sex, but Bella wouldn't mind in the least if it did as making love to Jasper and vice versa of course were the most amazing experiences in her vampire life so far. Bella knew it would be very hard to top those lovemaking sessions even if that was possible as the sex just kept getting better, more intense and longer lasting every time they made love, which came with practice Bella knew.

"I hear the elevator," said Jasper cocking his head to the side. "Melissa should be here any second now, so we had better go meet her."

Bella nodded and the two got dressed at vampire speed and left their bedroom just as the apartment door opened and Melissa walked in.

"So how was being out on your own for a whole day?" asked Bella walking over to give Melissa a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"Great!" Melissa said enthused. "I got plenty of snapshots so I can paint them later."

"Any trouble?" asked Jasper also coming over to give his daughter a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"Nothing I couldn't handle," Melissa assured them. When Bella and Jasper looked worried she added in order to reassure them, "Just a couple of would be thieves that I was perfectly happy to make a meal off of. That happened only a couple of hours after I left and as I was wondering around the city looking at all the architecture. Oh and there was also one would be murderer who came at me with a knife thinking I would be an easy target who also got what he deserved just about three hours ago."

"Got rid of the evidence?" asked Jasper.

"Yep," Melissa assured him. "I was extremely careful not to be seen when I drained the three dry and then got rid of the bodies."

"Excellent work," Jasper approved sending his daughter his pride. "Now that you're home though, Bella and I are going to go hunting as we are both very thirsty and unlike you haven't just fed."

"Gee, I wonder why you two are so thirsty," Melissa said with a smirk knowing exactly why they both needed to hunt.

"I have know idea what you are talking about," Bella said with her best innocent expression.

"Sure you don't," Melissa snarked silently grateful that she hadn't been here to hear them having sex as the walls of the penthouse were not that thick, especially for a vampire.

"We had better get going," said Jasper.

"I'll be here when you get back," Melissa promised. "I'm going to stay here and do some painting."

"Okay," Bella agreed as she and Jasper headed out the door of the penthouse in order to go hunt themselves up some dinner.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

"So this is St. Petersburg," Melissa commented as she looked out her car window at the bustling metropolis.

It was over a year later and the three of them had decided that they would like to see at least some of St. Petersburg before they left Russia whether that was next year or ten years down the road.

"Yes, this is St. Petersburg," said Jasper, "although it has had two other names over the last few decades, which were Petrograd and Leningrad. It was changed to Petrograd in 1914 and ten years later in 1924 it was changed to Leningrad, however it wasn't until 1991 that it was changed back to St. Petersburg which was less then twenty years ago."

"Wow! You sure do know your history," said Melissa impressed in spite of herself for she already was well aware that Jasper was a student of history and she had began to like history herself thanks to certain people, who would remain nameless, manipulative ways. Melissa shot a look in Jasper's direction causing him to chuckle as he could quite accurately guess exactly what she was thinking about. Melissa sometimes idly wondered if Jasper wasn't actually a secret telepath since he seemed to be able to guess what she was thinking more often then not.

"I am not in the least sorry that I got you interested in studying history as it is quite a fascinating subject, or at least it is if you study things that interest you and not just something for a school report and believe me I know what I'm talking about as I remember well doing reports for high school and college when I was living with the Cullens. The reports in high school were very repetitive and boring and I could write them to perfection without even thinking about it much at all, while the ones in college were a little better. If I hadn't already been interested in history by the time I joined the Cullens I'm sure repeating high school and college so many times and doing reports like you have to would have thrown me off liking the subject."

Melissa stuck out her tongue and both he and Bella chuckled at this display of a immaturity.

"Melissa, you better not stick out your tongue like that or it might get stuck that way," Bella teased her friend playfully chuckling at her antics.

Melissa didn't bother to give a verbal reply and just stuck out her tongue again.

"So where are we going first?" asked Bella turning back towards the front.

"I thought we could drop our bags off at the hotel and then go out and start exploring the city," Jasper said. "It is supposed to be cloudy all day according to the weather report, but all three of us will have to keep an eye on the sky to make sure that the sun isn't going to make an appearance. After we check in and drop our bags off I thought we could go and visit the Hermitage Museum which is one of the largest museums in the world."

"Why don't we do that on a day that is mostly sunny?" Melissa suggested. "Since it is supposed to be cloudy all day ism't it better to do outdoor activities first? Who knows if it will be cloudy tomorrow?"

"A good point," Jasper conceded with a smile filled with pride in Melissa's direction causing her to shyly duck her head in embarrassment as she still wasn't used to compliments from a man she really liked and respected.

"For today we should just walk around the city and look at all the buildings and take pictures, Bella suggested. "We'll, of course, keep our eye on the sky to make sure the sun isn't about to come out but this might be the only day we can be outside in this hot weather while we're here," Bella suggested. The other two vampires in the car agreed and thought it was a good day to just walk, look around and maybe do a little shopping.

"There are hundreds if not thousands of things to see and do," Jasper said as he parked the car he had bought shortly after they had moved here. "There are tons of museums, parks, shops, and other attractions. We don't have time to see and do it all on this trip as we would have to come back many times in order to do everything we want, but unlike humans we have centuries in order to do that."

"There is also plenty of criminals for us to feed off of when we get hungry," Melissa pointed out with a smirk. In her free time Melissa had been doing a lot of research into the criminal element and what kind of crimes were popular in Russia. The crime rate in St. Petersburg had gone down a little way on certain types of crimes, but one of the types of crime that was up percentage wise was the murder of foreign students and was even higher then it had been only five years ago and Melissa for one couldn't wait to sink her teeth into someone who wanted to kill somebody, especially a student, a young person who was just like she had been when she was human, just because they were a different nationality.

"True enough," Jasper agreed patting Melissa gently on the back. "That is one good thing about Russia as there are many more criminals in this country or at least more that don't bother to hide their activities and are blatantly obvious then in the States."

"The reason that is, as you well know, is because a lot of police are more crooked then in the States," Bella pointed out logically. "They get paid off by the criminal organizations to look the other way which is why so many of the criminals don't bother to hide their activities."

"This corruption in the police at home too, you know," Melissa pointed out.

"I know," Bella replied, "but there isn't as much of it as there is in this country which is one of the reasons I have enjoyed my time here so far as the police don't bother to take the time to really investigate a case because they are being paid to not pay too much attention to people that wind up dead, especially if they are already criminals to begin with."

"And also one of the reason is, is that the American government cracks down on criminals or at least they try to and that is one of the reasons that most criminals if they have any brains at all are not so obvious as they are less likely to get caught by the police at least if they are clever," said Jasper.

"Well not to change the subject, but shall we start exploring?" asked Melissa eagerly.

Jasper nodded and Bella said, "Let's go explore shall we?"

"We shall," Jasper agreed putting an arm around Bella's shoulders feeling content as the three of them walked out of the parking lot side by side each wearing contacts to cover their red eyes.

Jasper didn't really enjoy shopping or at least he hadn't used to, but that was only because Alice and the other Cullens, except perhaps for Emmet and Carlisle had always gone overboard. Alice in particular had been the worst offender and so Jasper had never gone shopping even by himself as for one thing it was just much easier to order things online nowadays and have them delivered and for another he had never been fond of the crowds because of his trouble controlling himself around humans when he had been drinking animal blood, although now that he was back on the normal human blood he no longer had that problem.

He even enjoyed shopping now so long as he was doing so for gifts for either his wife or his daughter or if he was in the company of those same people. Bella never went overboard when it came to shopping unlike Alice as she only enjoyed shopping for a few hours at a time and couldn't stand to do it all day, every day. Bella went shopping perhaps once every couple of weeks, while Alice could shop every damn day, all day and spend thousands of dollars, while Bella didn't usually didn't spend more than five hundred if that.

"So where to first?" asked Bella.

"Well there's a park near here of you insist on remaining outside or there's always the Hermitage Museum like I suggested before that is only a few blocks from here and of course there are plenty of shops and sights to see along the way."

"Let's go to the Hermitage," Melissa suggested remembering Jasper's earlier suggestion, "and shop along the way."

The other two agreed that that was a good plan.

"We might a well take our time getting there as even if we rush we won't be able to see all of the exhibits today as the Hermitage is quite big and a lot like the Met in New York sizewise," said Jasper. "If we really go through every room and exhibit throughly it could take months or maybe even longer and that is only if we come every day."

"It's really that big?" asked Melissa.

"Yes," said Jasper. "I've never been of course, but I did do my research and I have of course heard about it as it is a world heritage site," Jasper said.

"What precisely is a world heritage site?" asked Bella who had never heard of that particular organization.

"It is an organization that protects places that are considered historical, like forest, churches, monuments and really just about any site that has a lot of history. The world Heritage organization is part of the Geneva Convention. Such must meet certain criteria in order to be declared such and the cultural criteria are:

Represents a masterpiece of human creative genius. Exhibits an important interchange of human values, over a span of time, or within a cultural area of the world, on developments in architecture or technology, monumental arts, town-planning, or landscape design. Bears a unique or exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or to a civilization which is living or which has disappeared. Is an outstanding example of a type of building, architectural, or technological ensemble or landscape which illustrates a significant stage in human history. Is an outstanding example of a traditional human settlement, land-use, or sea-use which is representative of a culture, or human interaction with the environment especially when it has become vulnerable under the impact of irreversible change. Is directly or tangibly associated with events or living traditions, with ideas, or with beliefs, with artistic and literary works of outstanding universal significance."

"Also they have a category and guidelines for natural criteria as well, such as forest and they are:

Contains superlative natural phenomena or areas of exceptional natural beauty and aesthetic importance. Is an outstanding example representing major stages of Earth's history, including the record of life, significant on-going geological processes in the development of landforms, or significant geomorphic or physiographic features. Is an outstanding example representing significant on-going ecological and biological processes in the evolution and development of terrestrial, fresh water, coastal and marine ecosystems, and communities of plants and animals. Contains the most important and significant natural habitats for in-situ conservation of biological diversity, including those containing threatened species of outstanding universal value from the point of view of science or conservation.

"At least one of these criteria must be met in order to be declared a world Heritage site, which means that certain acts are prohibited such as one to commit any acts of hostility directed against the historic monuments, works of art or places of worship which constitute the cultural or spiritual heritage of peoples; two to use such objects in support of the military effort, three to make such things the object of reprisals. There are fifteen of these sites in Russia alone, but hundreds all over the world in over a hundred and forty-five countries,"

"How do you know so much?" asked Melissa once again amazed at what Jasper knew and thinking he sounded as if he had swallowed a whole set of encyclopedias.

"I read a lot," Jasper answered simply, "and once I read something I never forget it since vampires are incapable of actually doing that. As you should know Miss Melissa since you had an eidetic memory even when you were human," Jasper added teasingly.

"It was a rhetorical question, which means you didn't actually have to answer it," Melissa said laughingly. "I know how much you read, but what you actually know just takes me by surprise sometimes, that's all. I never knew anybody when I was human that had your breadth of knowledge, but then again all the people I knew were either around my age or a little older and hadn't had time to learn what you know."

"One of the disadvantages of being human," Jasper mused philosophically, "is the shortage of time as humans don't live to be more then ninety or perhaps a hundred or so, but not much more than that."

"Not to mention most humans don't have perfect recall and tend to have memory problems the older they get," Bella added. "I know I did when I was human as I remember forgetting stuff all the time."

The three of them continued to walk side by side on the busy street talking softly and looking in the shop windows while dozens of people both tourists and Russians flowed around them avoiding what looked like three ordinary tourists, but the humans around somehow sensed they were something more than what they seemed and for that reason the crowds avoided them streaming around them on either side. The only explanation any of the humans in the vicinity that were paying attention to their surroundings could come up with was that the three walked like predators and somehow they just seemed to radiate danger even though the man and two women weren't doing anything out of the ordinary.

"Let's going here," Bella said spotting a jewelry shop. Even though the name of the store was in Russian Bella read it easily thanks to Jasper's language lessons.

"As you wish," Jasper agreed easily thinking he would buy Bella anything she desired and not allow her to pay for herself although she had plenty of money of own and that included Melissa as well.

"They have some really pretty things and unique things," Melissa said as soon as she entered the store and began to look around examining the merchandise.

"And it's high-quality as well," said Jasper as he examined some of the selection that was available. Thanks to his vampire eyesight Jasper had no need for a magnifying glass or a jewelers telescopic lens in order to tell that the jewelry in this store was very high-quality as the gems had no flaws in the stones and the designs in the metal of the rings and other merchandise was of exceptional quality and very detailed.

"Есть ли что-нибудь я могу помочь вам найти?" asked the shopkeeper from behind the counter in Russian. (Is there anything I can help you find?)

"Не право на данный момент. Мы просто просматриваете. Если нам нужна помощь мы будем просить," Jasper replied politely also in Russian surprising the shopkeeper as he could tell that the three were not Russian. He had believed the man and two ladies nothing more than tourists, but if they were just visitors the man would not speak Russian as it was a very hard language to master or at least that is what he had been told. The three of them were an enigma as far as he was concerned, for not only did that man treat the women as his equals, which was not the usual thing in his country, but only one of them wore a wedding band so who the other woman was he hadn't a clue. In fact he had originally taken then for no more than tourists out to see the beauty of St. Petersburg, but he just might have been wrong about that. He supposed the two woman could be sisters, but they really didn't look anything alike, so probably that was not the case. Oh well, it wasn't any of his business, although he continued to watch them to make sure they didn't slip a piece of jewelry into a pocket. (Not right at the moment. We're just browsing. If we need help we will ask.)

"See anything you ladies like?" Jasper asked Bella and Melissa in a low voice, so that the shopkeeper couldn't hear what was said for Jasper didn't know whether or not the man spoke English or not.

"Several things," Melissa replied and Bella nodded indicating that she had seen several things she wanted as well.

"Well why don't you pick out what you want and I will pay for it," Jasper said giving both of them a stern look so that neither would protest that they would pay for themselves. Bella gave in with a sigh and gave Jasper look that told him that this was not over while Melissa just gave in without arguing, although she did shoot Jasper a grateful look.

"You really do buy both of us too much expensive stuff," Bella told him softly although she did give him a kiss on the cheek to let him know she wasn't really mad at him. "All these gifts are really not necessary you know."

"I know," Jasper said with a seductive wink, "but you can't deny me my pleasure, now can you? I enjoy buying things for you and for Melissa so don't bother to argue with me now or later because you know I won't give in. The two of you have brought so much happiness to my life that I just love spoiling the two of you. Before the two of came into my life I never thought I would have a real family to love and no the Cullens don't really count, but now I do. I spoil you two because I love you and besides I never really had anyone I wanted to spend my money on before as all the Cullens had plenty of their own and had no trouble spending it. Besides I have more money than I know what to do with as you well know so if I want to buy you two whatever you want why don't you let me do that?" Jasper lectured his wife softly so that the shopkeeper wouldn't hear what was being said. "Besides think about the century I was raised in where a man always took care of his wife and any other women he was responsible for like a sister or aunt and yes that includes buying them anything their hearts desire if he could afford it of course. Woman didn't control the money in the time I was born, not unless they didn't have a husband, father or brother or any other male relative anyway."

Bella gave in with a sigh and kissed his cheek again. "Alright, fine, I give in. I have to keep reminding myself that you were born in a different time, a time where chivalry still existed and was more common then it is today."

Jasper winked at his wife while inside he was cheering that he had gotten Bella to give in so easily which was unusual as she could be just as stubborn as he was.

"Take your time, we are in no rush," Jasper told the two young women

"I'm done," said Bella after another couple of minutes bringing several items over to Jasper so he could look at what she had selected. While Bella had been looking around the store and selecting things she liked Jasper had also been looking around to see if he saw anything he could by for the two ladies as presents for their birthdays or in Bella's case their mating and wedding anniversaries.

"I'm finished," Melissa said softly not bothering to talk in a normal tone of voice since she knew very well that Jasper and Bella would be able to able to hear her five minutes later also bringing her selections over to Jasper. Once Jasper had them in hand he walked over to the counter to pay and the shopkeeper looked away quickly from where he had been keeping an eye on the three to make sure they didn't steal anything.

There was something about this man and the two women that made him very nervous even though they had not actually done anything concrete that made him so. They had not done anything that hundreds of other people hadn't done when they came into his store and that was look around and buy something, although the tourists that came into his shop bought one piece of jewelry or perhaps two, since he only carried the real genuine deal, but these people were about to buy more than he normally sold in a whole day, which meant that they had to have a whole lot of money.

The shopkeeper rang up the items and placed them into red jewelry boxes that he took from behind the counter before he produced a bag and put all the purchases inside, before handing it to Bella as soon as Jasper had paid for everything with his credit card.

"Спасибо вам за ваши покупки. Просьба прийти снова," said the shopkeeper smiling sincerely because he was very happy with the amount of money he had just made in just a few minutes. (Thank you for your purchase. Please come again.)

The three of them walked out the shop door and the shopkeeper watched them go to make sure they really left for for some strange reason those three scared him down to his bones.

"Let's go put these in the car trunk just to be on the safe side," Jasper said so softly that only a vampire could have picked up the words. "The crime rate in this city is very high, especially towards foreigners if you remember and we wouldn't want our purchases stolen now would we?"

"All right," both woman agreed just as softly.

The three of them causally walked down the sidewalk back in the direction of their car not seeming to be paying attention to their surroundings even though that was not true as all three of them were on the alert for thieves as none of them wanted to have their very expensive purchases stolen and it was like they could just run and catch the thief with all these humans around.

Once they reached the car a few minutes later and had put their bags in the trunk locking the lid Melissa asked, "So where too?"

"Wherever the hell we want that's where," Jasper said with a smile.

"Let's go!" Bella exclaimed excitedly. "Race you!"

The other two vampires laughed and followed.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

Seven years later

Melissa was walking back to the penthouse apartment that she shared with her best friend Isabella Marie Whitlock and her mate and husband, Jasper.

She kept her eyes roving over the area of wherever she was walking, but her thoughts were elsewhere as she wasn't really afraid of being robbed, mugged or knifed in the back for in the seven years they had been here word had gotten around that her and her family were not to be messed with as more then one pickpocket had disappeared never to be seen again after trying to rob one of them and so had several of the Russian mob who had tried to knife them and leave them for dead as a message to other foreigners.

There had even been that one of time the mob had tried to gun them down. After the man that had tried to put bullets into her and Bella, Jasper had made an example of him and left him where the mafia was sure to find him. Jasper had done more then simply drain his blood, by making him an example Jasper had broken all his bones and left him with cuts and wounds that would have made him bleed out in minutes, if Jasper hadn't drained him first. The shining glory though was the fact that Jasper had cut off the man's manhood as well as his tongue and mailed them to the mob with a short note written in perfect Russian telling them where to find their man and that any other attempts to kill them would have the same results and then he would come after the mafia bosses one by one. Once they had found their man, Jasper hadn't even needed to leave another written message because the body of their best gunman was enough of one. Piotr Ivanova had not only been dead accurate with his machine gun, he had also been an expert at knife throwing and using a strangling cord. That the mob's best man who had proven time and time again that he could handle himself in any situation had been taken out so easily had scared the loose circle of crime bosses and underlings that formed the Russian mob and so they all decided it might just be better to leave the three alone and to look the other way when somebody loosely infiltrated with their crime syndicate disappeared as none of the mob bosses had a doubt that he foreigner known as Jasper Whitlock would carry out his threat as he apparently could be as bloodthirsty as any Russian, even though he wasn't one.

Suddenly Melissa was jerked out of her thoughts as she neared the penthouse apartment she shared with her family when she heard a sound that was hard to identify, but finally she recognized it as the sound of a man being cornered and then stabbed. Melissa raced to the scene and stood in the shadows as she saw two thugs stab the other man that was backed up against the alley wall repeatedly and then the thug who appeared to be the leader said his voice a sneer of hate and disgust, "We don't want your kind here halfbreed."

Melissa looked at the man and the minute her vampire eyes took in his face and his dark intense eyes she felt that pull that Jasper and the Bella had described so often.

That man is my mate and he is dying, Melissa thought suddenly frantic. Melissa was feeling very protective of the man and knew that if he died she would not live for even though she had just laid eyes on him she knew he was the one for her even though they man didn't even know she was there. Without really thinking about it Melissa threw one of the thugs against the wall knocking him unconscious and grabbed the other one latching onto his neck and draining him dry in minutes.

Melissa checked on the man and the man opened his eyes that were filled with intense pain wondering who this angel was that had rescued him although she had come to late because he knew he was dying.

"Шуш," Melissa told him then added. "Не пытайтесь говорить Я получите вы где-то, что мы можем получить вы обращались." (Shush) (Don't try to talk I'll get you somewhere where we can get you treated.)

The man said something else in Russian and Melissa responded in the same language for both Bella and her had leaned to speak it in just a short amount of time about six years ago.

Once the man closed his eyes again, Melissa turned to the man she had knocked unconscious and then slapped him awake very savagely.

"Вы только что встретили вашу смерть, Вы больная часть дерьма!" Melissa's spat at him in Russian. (You have just met your death, you sick piece of shit!)

Нет! Запасные моей жизни! Пожалуйста милосердия! (No! Spare my life! Please mercy!)

Melissa didn't bother to reply and since she thought she didn't have time to drain him dry she simply looked into his terror filled eyes and twisted his head swiftly until the muscles snapped and he slumped to the ground dead.

After Melissa was sure that the thug was dead she didn't hesitate and picked up the man that she didn't even know the name of and raced towards the penthouse apartment that she had been living in the last seven years.

Jasper was waiting at the door as Melissa raced the bleeding man up to the penthouse apartment that she shared with two others.

Luckily for them they had a private elevator that went only up to the their penthouse apartment or down to the lobby. Nobody else could use the elevator unless they had called first to let Jasper and them know that they were coming and the elevator was released for them to use, so it was unlikely that anybody had seen Melissa bring the man into the building as it was the middle of the night and everybody was asleep.

Melissa raced into the penthouse and then into her bedroom and placed the man on the bed.

"We know everything," Bella told Melissa who was already there with medical supplies. "We'll explain how we know later but if we want to save this man's life we had better get busy as he is bleeding like a stuck pig and there is only so much blood in the human body."

Bella opened the first aid kit and got busy bandaging the man's wounds as gently she could not bothered by the blood that was just flowing out of him. If she had been hungry the man's blood would have bothered her a lot more and she would've had to struggle with yourself not to kill him, but since she was well fed it didn't bother her half as much as it would other vampires. Sure she still felt a slight burning in the back of her throat at the smell of his blood and sure her demon was urging her to drain him dry, but Bella had a long time ago learned to control her demon and so just ignored that part of her. Other vampires were much more savage then she was and didn't care who they drained for their meals. Even if they were well fed they didn't care if they encountered a human who was bleeding like this man was.

"Is he going to be alright?" asked Melissa frantically as she stood beside the man's bed protectively trying her best not to pace although she was unconsciously ringing her hands.

"I don't know," Bella admitted. "He's lost a lot of blood. Most humans having lost so much blood would've gone into shock already and probably be dead."

Melissa almost whimpered at that and Bella looked up at her friend to see her stricken expression.

"I know exactly how you feel," Bella told Melissa sincerely. "If anything happened to Jasper…"

Jasper who had been standing in the doorway came over and put his arm around Bella's shoulder and then looked at his daughter. "If you want me to change him into a vampire, I will do so."

"You know I can't live without him," Melissa told Jasper as she looked into his red eyes looking as if she wanted to dry sob, but was holding back through sheer force of will. "How you knew to be waiting for me and what had happened I don't know, but if you know that then you know he is my mate as I felt that pull the second I set eyes on him. If he dies I die and it doesn't matter one iota that I don't even know his name."

"We do not know every single detail of what happened," Jasper told her, "just the basics really. We can discuss that later though for we need to make a decision as I believe Bella is right and that he will not live with as much blood as he has lost. That he is still alive considering how much he was bleeding just proves that he has a strong constitution and the will to live."

Melissa bit her lower lip seeming to be thinking about what Jasper had said.

"Alright," Melissa said finally as she looked down at the man who looked partly Russian and partly something else. His hair was black true, but the shape of the eyes and skin color definitely proved that he was not a full Russian and those two thugs had called him a halfbreed.

Suddenly the man jerked awake and looked around frantically and seeing who he thought was an angel calmed him down a little. "Вы ангел?" (Are you an Angel?)

Jasper and Bella tried to suppress their laughter at that as they didn't want to draw attention to themselves.

"Нет, я не ангел. Как вас зовут?" (No, I'm not an Angel. What is your name?)

"Миша," the man replied. (Misha) Могу ли я иметь удовольствие знать имя самых красивых "Ангел, я когда-либо видел?" (May I have the pleasure of knowing the name of the most beautiful Angel that I've ever seen?)

"Мелисса," Melissa replied forcing herself to be calm. (Melissa)

"Что ты если ты не Ангел здесь взять меня на небеса?" asked Misha as he tried not to move anything except his lips as he was in a great deal of pain, but less now that all his slash and stab wounds had been doctored expertly. (What are you if you're no Angel here to take me to heaven?)

Bella and Jasper snickered at that quietly enough that Misha was not going to pick up on the sound.

Melissa looked at Jasper on the other side of the bed raising an eyebrow asking a silent question.

Jasper nodded and knew that this man would become a vampire even if it was not his wish, because to let him die would be letting Melissa find a way to kill herself.

"Мы отличаемся от вас," said Melissa. (We are different from you.)

"Как ты разные?" asked Misha as he looked up into the eyes of someone he considered an angel, but thanks to the dim light could not actually see the color of them. (How are you different?)

"Задумывались ли вы о том, что, возможно, существует более разумная жизнь на этой планете помимо людей?" Melissa countered. (Have you ever thought that there might be more intelligent life on this planet besides humans?)

"Не очень хотя я знаю, есть легенды о других интеллектуальных видов помимо людей. Я слышал, многие из них, конечно, но фактически никогда не считали, что такие вещи, как оборотни, форма манетки или демоны были реальными." responded Misha (Not really though I know there are legends about other intelligent species apart from humans. I've heard of many of them, of course, but never actually believed that things such as werewolves, shape-shifters and demons were real.)

"Есть вещи в этом мире, что девяносто пять процентов людей, никогда не обнаружить и, следовательно, не верят в если они не могут трогать, вкус или увидеть его," said Melissa. (There are things in this world that ninety-five percent of people never discover and, therefore, do not believe in if they cannot touch, taste or see it.)

"Если Вы не являетесь человеческими тогда кем Вы работаете?" asked Misha. (If you are not human then what are you?)

"Вампир," Melissa replied matter-of-factly. (Vampire.)

Misha reacted to the word as if he had been shot and even though he was gravely injured tried to rise from the bed. "Вампиры! Вампиры!" (Vampires! Vampires!)

"Вам нужно успокоиться! Вы будете убивать себя так же, как эти бандиты пытались сделать, если вы этого не сделаете! Я перевязал ваши раны, но вы не зажила. Вы потеряли гораздо больше крови, то это безопасно для человека, чтобы потерять. Это на самом деле чудо, что ты еще жив, гораздо менее бодрствовать, говорить с нами. Все трое из нас ожидалось, вы никогда не восстановить сознание и в конечном итоге умирают," Bella scolded him putting a cold hand on his shoulder in order to get him to stay still. (You need to calm down! You'll kill yourself just as the bandits were trying to do, if you do not do it! I bandaged your wounds, but you are not healed. You have lost a lot more blood, then it is safe for a person to lose. It is actually a miracle that you're still alive, much less awake, talking with us. All three of us expected you to never regain consciousness and eventually die.) Будьте все еще! Вы открыли ваши раны! Бинты, замачивают в вашей крови, которая больше, чем вы можете позволить себе потерять. (Be still! You opened your wounds! Bandages soaked in your blood, which is more than you can afford to lose.)

Misha calmed down a little once he had translated the brown haired lady's words and also because he suddenly felt much calmer for some reason that he could not explain.

"Нам очень жаль, что вы должны были узнать, что вампиры не просто легенда. Я Джаспер Уитлок, лидер этой маленькой семьи. Это моя жена, Белла, и вы уже встретили свою дочь, Мелисса." (We are very sorry that you had to learn that vampires are not just a legend. I'm Jasper Whitlock, the leader of this little family. This is my wife, Bella, and you've already met my daughter, Melissa.)

"Почему вы надоело бандаж мои раны, когда я знаю, до сих пор я собираюсь умереть как бандитов, я уверен, что вызвало внутренней ранит и в конечном итоге эти травмы будет мне конец. Поэтому я повторяю, почему вы не просто дайте мне умереть? Я готов принять смерть, и вы просто замедляют процесс, хотя я не понимаю почему." (Why have you bothered to bandage my wounds when I know I am still going to die as those bandits I am sure caused internal injures and eventually those injuries will be the end of me. So I repeat why did you not just let me die? I am ready to accept death and you have just slowed the process, although I don't understand why.)

Melissa sobbed at that and ran out of the room Bella following after giving Jasper a look as if to tell him that he had better fix this.

"Я прошу прощения, если я расстроился мой ангел, который спас меня от этих убийц. Я не понимаю, почему она принесла мне здесь не так более естественным для нее, чтобы выпить на моей крови вместо сохранения мою жизнь, если она является вампиром?" (I apologize if I've upset my angel who saved me from these killers. I don't understand why she brought me here, isn't it more natural for her to drink my blood instead of saving my life if she is a vampire?)

"Если я объяснить несколько вещей, вы должны обещают оставаться спокойным, как я не хочу отменить напряженную работу моей жены. Если вы обещаете, чтобы делать то, что я прошу вас, я расскажу вам некоторые вещи, если вы не то я не буду, по крайней мере, не сейчас, как я не хочу агитировать ваши травмы. Вы были совершенно правы, что хотя Белла остановил фактический поток крови у вас есть внутренние повреждения. Мой слух является супер чувствительной и я могу услышать вашу кровь накачки через ваши вены и как вялым это. Также ваше сердце перекачивает по крайней мере два раза так сложно, как это должно быть." (If I explain a few things, you have to promise to stay calm, as I do not want to undo the hard work of my wife. If you promise to do what I'm asking you, I'm going to tell you some things, if you don't then I won't, at least not right now as I don't want to agitate your injuries. You were absolutely right that although Bella stopped the actual flow of blood you have internal injuries. My hearing is super sensitive and I can hear your blood pumping through your veins and how sluggish it is. Also your heart is pumping at least twice as hard as it should be.)

Misha studied the man that he only knew as Jasper Whitlock—now there was a strange name!—and decided that the man although he was supposedly a vampire was being honest so he nodded.

"Очень хорошо тогда! Прежде всего позвольте мне сказать вам, что мы действительно являются вампирами, как моя дочь сказала вам, но мы отличаемся затем большую часть нашего рода." (Very well then! First of all, let me tell you that we really are vampires, as my daughter told you, but we are different then most of our kind.)

"Как вы отличаются от многочисленных легенд, который я слышал с годами? Ваш видов пить кровь человека настолько там нет причин, почему ваша дочь не пил остальной моей крови как я многочисленными ножевыми ранениями и не мог боролись." (How do you differ from the many legends that I've heard over the years? You drink human blood, so there is no reason why your daughter didn't drink the rest of my blood as I have numerous stab wounds and could not fight.)

"Ну во-первых мы не убивать невинных людей, как себя. Только люди, которые я и моя семья охотиться, являются люди, которые причиняет боль другим. Те, кто не волнует, кто они вреда. Мы не нападают детей, который что-то все трое из нас находятся в согласии на." (Well firstly we don't kill innocent people like yourself. The only people that my family and I hunt, are the people who hurt others. Those who do not care who they harm. We do not attack children, which is something all three of us are in agreement on.)

Misha's eyes widened slightly at that as he had not thought that vampires cared who they killed so long as they got what they needed.

Я признаю, что вы на самом деле сказал то, что удивило меня. Из всех легенд я сказали о вашем видов, они обычно не волнует, кто они убивают. (I admit that you actually said something that surprised me. From all the legends I was told about your species, they generally do not care who they kill.)

"И много вампиров не. Моя семья и я всегда заботились о кто мы убиваем. Мы были как раз как вы в одно время, полностью человека. Мы можем быть вампирами и должны пить кровь, чтобы выжить, но мы не монстры." (And many vampires do not. My family and I have always cared about who we kill. We were just like you at one time, fully human. We may be vampires and must drink blood to survive, but we're not monsters.)

Я вижу, что вы более сострадательным тогда много людей я встречал. Я только двадцать пять лет, но я считаю себя хороший судья персонажа." (I see that you are more compassionate then a lot of people I have met. I'm only twenty-five years old, but I consider myself a good judge of character.) Вы никогда не ответили на мой вопрос о том, почему ваша дочь спас меня от этих бандитов, как я знаю, что я собираюсь умереть где-то в ближайшие несколько дней, как я не верю, что даже больница может спасти мою жизнь. Мои внутренности яростно больно и я знаю, что это верный признак, что у меня есть внутренние раны. Я, вероятно, понадобится хирургии, и я не могу позволить себе оплату за такой дорогостоящей операцией. Даже если бы я мог нет никакой гарантии, что я бы выжить опыт," Misha said. (You never answered my question about why your daughter saved me from the bandits, as I know that I am going to die sometime in the next few days, as I do not believe that even a hospital can save my life. My innards violently hurt and I know that this is a sure sign that I have inner wounds. I will probably need surgery, and I can't afford to pay for the expensive operation. Even if I could there's no guarantee that I would survive the experience.)

"Есть еще один способ для вас, чтобы выжить," said Jasper (There is another way for you to survive.)

"Как?" asked Misha (How?)

"Я могу изменить вас в вампира," Jasper suggested simply and without embellishment. (I can change you into a vampire.)

"Почему вы предлагаете такую вещь для меня?" asked Misha in astonishment. (Why do you suggest such a thing to me?)

"Скажи мне что-то Миша? Чувствуете ли вы странное ощущение дергая в пределах вашего тела?" asked Jasper. (Tell me something Misha? Do you feel a strange sensation tugging within your body?)

Misha looked startled at Jasper's question, but since he had asked it quite seriously he gave it some consideration as he was almost positive that the man would not have asked unless he wanted an answer. He had felt the sort of tugging sensation that Jasper had described in the direction of Jasper's daughter Melissa, despite the amount of intense pain he was in, but he had thought it was just his imagination as the tugging was so faint as to be almost nonexistent. For some reason he had felt sad that he had hurt her feelings and she had fled the room in tears. He had been upset with himself for causing Jasper's daughter to run away, but he had thought at the time that it was only because she hadn't given him a chance to apologize for hurting her with his words, but could it be something more?

"Я чувствую себя ощущения; что вы только что описал. Это настолько слабы, хотя, что она может также быть несуществующих," Misha answered hoping that his was the answer the the man was looking for. (I feel the sensation; that you just described. It's so weak, though, that it might as well be non-existent)

"Это хорошо, что вы чувствуете это ощущение," said Jasper as calm as a clear blue sky. (It's good that you feel this sensation.)

"Почему это хорошо?" asked Misha confused. (Why is it good?)

Помните, когда я сказал вам, что Белла была моя жена?" asked Jasper. (Remember when I told you that Bella was my wife?)

"Да," Misha answered simply. (Yes)

"Ну Белла является не только моя жена, но и моей мат," Jasper answered his pride in his wife obvious for all who were paying attention to see. (Well, Bella is not only my wife but my mate.)

"Что вы средняя мат?" asked Misha curiously, having a feeling that Jasper's answer was going to change his life in unexpected ways. (What do you mean mate?)

"Моя Душа Мате," said Jasper (My Soul Mate)

"То, что это нужно делать со мной?" asked Misha a little apprehensively. (What does this have to do with me?)

"Она включает вас, потому что вы чувствуете что буксир. Что буксир для вампиров указывает, что они, наконец, нашли их один, правда мат." (It includes you, because you feel that tug. That tug for vampires indicates that they finally found their one true mate.)

Misha stared at the Jasper looking as if he had gone insane.

"Вы безумный? Если ваша дочь действительно чувствует буксир, как вы уже сказали, вопрос в моем уме – почему? Я просто плохой гражданин России с мало денежные богатства," Misha exclaimed. (Are you insane? If your daughter really feels the tug, as you have said, the question in my mind is why? I'm just a poor citizen of Russia with little monetary wealth.) "Мой ангел, который спас меня, заслуживает намного больше, чем я могу дать." (My angel, that rescued me, deserves much more than I can give.)

"Богатство не имеет значения. У меня есть много денег и будет кредита вам некоторые. Показать вам, как инвестировать. Я будет ожидать от вас платить мне обратно во времени," Jasper told him looking stern. (Wealth is not important. I have a lot of money and will loan you some. Show you how to invest. I will expect you to pay me back in time.)

Misha relaxed a little at that as he had been afraid that this strange man—or rather vampire—was about to tell him that he would give him a lot of money and that he didn't expect to be paid back. If there was one thing that Misha had learned in this life was that nothing was free. Not the food that you ate, or the clothes on your back, but since Jasper appeared to be originally American he had been unsure as to whether or not he understood that a man had his pride and was not willing to be given something for free without expecting a dagger hidden behind the back waiting to strike. However since Jasper had said that he expected to have his money paid back this caused Misha much less apprehension.

"Вы хотели бы видеть Мелисса?" asked Jasper. (Would you like to see Melissa?)

"Да," said Misha simply trying to conceal how he was yearning to see his angel. To touch her to make sure she was real and not a mirage. (Yes.)

"Прежде чем я принесу мою дочь, обратно в здесь из гостиной, я говорю вам, что это не вопрос, если вы согласны или не вы будет превращен в вампира. Если вы должны были умереть, теперь, когда Мелисса нашла вас она немедленно последуют вам в могилу, и я не буду иметь это. Мы понимаем друг друга, да?" Jasper asked sternly with a determined look in his eyes that Misha saw now were blood red as Jasper had stepped into the light. (Before I bring my daughter back in here from the living room, I say to you that it doesn't matter if you agree or not, you will be turned into a vampire. If you were to die, now that Melissa has found you, she immediately would follow you to the grave, and I won't have it. We understand each other, yes?)

"Да," Misha said with a gulp seeing immediately that this was a man that was used to command and who could be stubborn and as unyielding as the strongest metal known when the situation called for it. (Yes.)

On the other hand he would more then likely die anyway and it was only his strong constitution and will to live that he was not yet dead, although those two things would only take you so far and would not let you survive all by itself without aid.

"Моя дочь и моя жена, являются для меня все. Вы понимаете?" asked Jasper his tone so menacing and cold that Misha was surprised that icicles didn't form on his extremities. He didn't have to hear the words of 'hurt them and you will regret it' to get the silent message. (My daughter and my wife are everything to me. Do you understand?)

"Да, я понимаю, сэр," said Misha looking a little apprehensive as he knew that his life was about to change totally and completely. (Yes, I understand, Sir.)

"Очень хорошо после этого," Jasper said relaxing his stance his voice warming up perceptibly as he turned to leave the room. (Very well then.) Кстати нет необходимости быть настолько формальных, поэтому позвоните мне Джаспер." (By the way there is no need to be so formal, so call me Jasper.) Кстати нет необходимости быть настолько формальных, поэтому позвоните мне ДжасперДобро пожаловать в моей семье, Миша" Jasper said. (Welcome to my family, Misha.)

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

Jasper entered the living room to find Bella and Melissa waiting for him both sitting down and trying to carry on a conversation, but having a difficult time of it as they were both concerned about Misha.

"How is he?" asked Melissa as soon as Jasper entered the room. Staying here in the living room and away from Misha had been one of the hardest things she had ever done in her life.

"It went just fine," Jasper said as he sat down beside Bella and then repeated the conversation word for a word in English leaving out his threat as Melissa didn't need to know that.

"Why did you tell him that he had to become a vampire instead of giving him a choice?" asked Melissa trying not to look upset at Jasper's high-handedness.

"Misha, is Russian or at least half-Russian," Jasper calmly explained. "Russians are a different breed from Americans and they do not accept charity lightly if it all. Also a lot of Russians do not show their emotions, not easily anyway, as Americans or the Swiss or the Swedish do. If I had not told him that he had to become a vampire he might have decided against it thinking that his feelings for you were nothing but his imagination."

"He would have let himself die!" Melissa's exclaimed indignantly looking upset at that little revelation.

"Yes, the Russians are hard race," Jasper told them calmly. "Of course, I know it has probably a lot to do with the fact that this country is run by communism and also that the country itself is hard."

"Jasper's right, Melissa and you would know it if you were thinking logically instead of with your emotions," Bella told her friend. "I'm not saying that you do not have reason to be emotional, but you know that Jasper would never do anything that would hurt you as that would tear this family apart since you are an integral part of it and now so is Misha."

"You had better go and see him," Jasper told his daughter getting up and giving her a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Just be sure that he doesn't move around too much as he really doesn't have anymore blood to lose if we want him alive in order to turn him into a vampire."

When Melissa had left Bella leaned her head against Jasper's shoulder. "Well this was certainly unexpected even though we did have some warning thanks to Peter," Bella said.

"At least it was a good thing instead of something bad," Jasper pointed out as he put his arm around Bella's shoulder kissing her hair.

"That's true," Bella said as she seemed to be deep in thought. "Why did you tell him that you would lend him the money and he had to pay you back?"

"Can't you guess?" asked Jasper with a raised eyebrow.

Bella thought about it and thought about all she had learned about Russians since she moved here seven years ago with her family. "You said before that Russians are a hard race and they do not accept charity so you said that you would lend him the money so that he wouldn't think of it as charity."

"Exactly," Jasper said. "What I actually plan to do is have him give me the money and then put it back into his account without him being the wiser."

"He's going to catch on eventually you know," Bella mocked scolded him.

"Well if he does it will hopefully be by the point that he has accepted that when you are part of our family that certain things just come along with it and that includes money, help if you need it and unconditional love.

"So when do you plan to change him into a vampire?" asked Bella curiously.

"Probably we'll start the process either today or tomorrow," Jasper said.

"What are you going to do about the screaming he's going to do? The walls aren't exactly soundproof you know."

"That is a problem," Jasper admitted. "He's too injured to really move and Melissa was lucky that he didn't die as she was carrying him to the penthouse."

"What we need to do is feed him and when he replenishes his blood a little and he can move without killing him we need to leave Russia and head somewhere else. He does have severe internal injuries, love," Jasper said. "Even if we replenish his blood by feeding him if we move him around too much he could still die of complications."

"He'll die anyway if we don't start the process soon, and then so will Melissa," said Bella logically with a sigh. "We need to figure out something and fast, because I don't believe changing him here is an option."

"We could take him down to the sewer and change him there," Jasper suggested off the top of his head.

"But then how will we get him out of the country?" asked Bella. "You know what dealing with a new vampire is like."

"You're right," Jasper said as he contemplated their options which there weren't many of.

"The only option I see is to prepare the plane to leave for some destination, we'll have to decide on where and put him to sleep until we get on the plane. Once we are in the air you can fly the plane for a while while I bite him and at least that way his screams will not bother anyone but us."

"And how are we going to get him past airport security?" asked Bella. "And the change does take three days, we can't stay in the air that long as we'd run out of gas."

"Bribe them of course. Most people in this country are crooked anyway or at least humans who work in places like airports are. Mostly because the government goes out of its way to pay the airport employees as little as it is possible to get away with so you can't really blame them for accepting bribes, especially if the money goes towards feeding their families," said Jasper. "If we pay them $100,000 apiece or what that amounts to in rubles they'll be pleased to do as we ask with no questions."

"Half that amount would probably do the trick," Bella commented dryly. "I doubt they make that much in a year."

"But this way we make sure they stay bought and it's not like we don't have the money. I've had to pay bribes before, a lot of times actually, although not in the last 50 years. Besides I bet you at least half of those airport employees have families to feed and that 1000,000 will make their lives much easier by putting food on the table."

"So how are we going to find a place to land the plane that is not at an airport as we can't exactly take him to one while he's still being changed as I'm sure his cries would bring somebody from security running wondering what the hell was going on."

"Already got that solved," Jasper told Bella with a wink. "I have a property that's way out in the middle of nowhere and there's enough room to land a plane of that size."

"Where is his house located?" asked Bella.

"It's way out in the Canadian wilderness. There's a large lake on the property and the plane is equipped to deal with a water landing if necessary."

"How close is the nearest city or town?" asked Bella.

"The town is Toronto and is probably 100 miles from my property."

Bella pursed her lips at that and thought about it. "That's not really so far to go to town and get Misha meals for when he wakes up and for the next year or so."

"Not to speed we drive anyway," Jasper said with a wink. "It really shouldn't take more than an hour each way if that and there are not very many people on those wilderness roads and to tell you the truth my house is kind of off the map."

"In other words it is out in the middle of nowhere, very hard to find as it isn't on any of the main roads and it isn't that close to civilization. What about transportation in order to going to town and collect humans for him to feed on?" asked Bella.

"I thought I'd buy something big when we get there."

"What's big enough to transport four or five humans at the same time?" asked Bella.

"A delivery van?" suggested Jasper.

"Or an SUV so long as you take the seats out," Bella suggested.

"I think a delivery van would be good because it won't matter if we rip the seats out as we will just dispose of it afterwards. Delivery vans have no style whatsoever, but they are functional and will serve the purpose quite well."

Bella shook her head at that, but didn't say anything although she disapproved over just dismantling a vehicle like that, but Jasper could be very stubborn and it wasn't like they couldn't afford to get rid of it when they were done with it.

"And it doesn't really matter if we just dump humans in the back like corkwood or if they have arms and legs broken so long as they are still breathing," Bella suggested wickedly. "A dead human isn't half as appetizing as one that is alive and struggling as their blood is much warmer and fresher even if they have only been dead just a few minutes it isn't quite the same."

"I wholeheartedly agree with that," Jasper said returning Bella's wicked grin with on of his own.

"I suppose we had better go tell Melissa and Misha the plan," Bella said not particularly wanting to move from where she laid curled up against Jasper's side with his arm around her shoulders.

"Yes we need to intact the plan as soon as possible," Jasper agreed as they both rose from the couch.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

Melissa entered her bedroom where Misha lay quietly looking quite peaceful despite the fact that he had to be in a great deal of pain.

"Как вы себя чувствуете, Миша?" (How do you feel, Misha?)

"Лучше, теперь, когда вы находитесь здесь." (Better now that you are here.)

"Я жаль, что эти бандиты напали на вас, но не жаль, что я спас, ваша жизнь." (I'm sorry that these thugs attacked you, but not sorry that I saved your life.)

"Мне очень жаль, что они напали на меня тоже. Я думал, что я буду умирать." (I'm sorry that they attacked me too. I thought I was going to die.)

"Но вы не сделали." (But you didn't.)

"Вот только из-за тебя, мой ангел." (That's just because of you, my Angel.)

"Я нет, Ангел, просто спросите моя сестра." (I'm no Angel, just ask my sister.)

"Для меня вы и всегда будет. Вы всегда будет Ангел, что спас меня от смерти." (To me you are and always will be. You will always be the Angel that saved me from death.)

"То есть так что сладкое, вам, Миша, но вы по-прежнему будет мертв, технически. Это то, что вампиры являются, в конце концов, ходячие мертвецы," said Melissa glad she couldn't blush anymore as she would be doing that right this moment if if she could have. Even if Misha's words were a little embarrassing they also pleased her for it turned out that he could be quite poetic even while laying in her bed with at least a dozen knife wounds in various parts of his body. (That is so sweet, you, Misha, but you are still going to be dead, technically. This is what vampires are, after all, the walking dead.)

"Если я собираюсь быть мертв, как это, что я не собираюсь быть похоронен в могиле?" asked Misha. (If I'm going to be dead, how is it that I'm not going to be buried in a grave?)

"Джаспер объяснил он мне таким образом, один раз. Хотя вампиры не являются технически живы мы ходить, говорить, думаю, любовь, ненависть или любые другие эмоции, потому что тот факт, что наш мозг все еще живы," Melissa explained. (Jasper explained it to me this way once. Although vampires are not technically alive we walk, talk, think, love, hate or any other emotions because of the fact that our brains are still alive.) "Потому что мы технически мертвым у нас много способностей, которые люди не могут надеяться слишком." (Because we are technically dead, we have a lot of abilities that humans cannot hope too.)

"Какого рода способностей?" asked Misha. (What kind of abilities?)

"Ну мы быстрее, сильнее, мы можем видеть и слышать гораздо лучше и иметь кожу так сложно, как камень. Мы можем запустить так быстро, что мы не более затем размытия и никогда не нужно отдохнуть как мы никогда не получим запыхался. Вы найдете что никогда не было человека оружие придумали что может повредить нам и на самом деле мы можем раздавить даже валунов в руины без большого эффекта," Melissa explained. (Well we are faster, stronger, we can see and hear much better and have a skin as hard as stone. We can run so fast that we are nothing more then a blur and never need to relax as we never get out of breath. You will find that there has never been a weapon invented by man that can hurt us and actually we can crush even boulders to rubble without much effect.)

"И каким образом, кем-то стать вампиром?" asked Misha feeling happy and content as Melissa stroked his arm unconsciously. (And how does someone become a vampire?)

"Когда вы изменяете вампир; кто-то, они должны быть укушенным; в нескольких разных местах право на крупнейших Вены. Это лицо нуждается столько яда, насколько это возможно, толкнул в их крови поток. Я не буду лгать вам, изменение является весьма болезненным, как вам будет кричать для трех мучительных дней как яд гонок через вашу кровь, заменив его," Melissa explained. (When you change a someone into a vampire, they have to be bitten; in several different places right on the largest veins. This person needs as much venom as possible, pushed into their bloodstream. I'm not going to lie to you, the change is quite painful, as you will be screaming for three harrowing days as a poison races through your bloodstream, replacing it.)

"Яд?" asked Misha looking a little scared, but as Melissa put a hand on his arm and he looked up into her face he stopped being scared for he had fallen in love with her and would do almost anything so that they would never be parted. (Poison?)

"Вот что вампир, яд, в некотором смысле, яд," Melissa soothed him gently. (That's what vampire venom is, in a sense, poison.) "Вместо того, чтобы тебя не убили, хотя, он превратит вас в то, что я, так что мы можем всегда быть вместе." (Instead of killing you, though it will turn you into what I am, so we can always be together.)

Before Misha could ask another question Jasper and Bella came into the room. "У нас есть план, как получить вас из здесь, так что мы можем изменить вам в вампира," Jasper began to explain the idea that he and Bella had had. (We have a plan to get you out of here so we can change you into a vampire.)

"Is this the only way?" asked Melissa in English looked worried, while Jasper nodded his head.

"He cannot be changed here as his screams would rouse the whole building and we would have the police knocking on our door in no time flat. Not that police are ordinarily a problem for three vampires as we could drain them if we had to, but we have Misha to consider in this case and so changing him here is not the best idea as we do not want the residents of the building curious or the authorities knocking on our door. Not to mention a newborn vampire waking up in the middle a very large city with millions of people?" Jasper shuddered as he thought about the consequences of that. "It is better if we take him somewhere where there are no humans around and you know this Melissa. I know you are worried about him, Bella and I are to, but there's nothing else we can do."

Misha looked back and forth between Melissa and her father as he had no idea what they had said since they had been speaking English and not Russian. From Melissa's worried expression though it was not anything good.

"You two had better go pack, because it is better if we start to change him as soon as possible," Jasper told the two women.

Bella nodded and headed to her and Jasper's room in order to pack the most important items that they definitely had to take with them.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

It wasn't more than an hour later that the apartment had been stripped completely bare of anything that has value to the three vampires that had lived there for the last seven years. Some items were being left behind, of course, but they could be shipped at a later date and it wasn't like it couldn't be replaced.

Jasper came into Melissa room and said, "Миша, помните, я говорил вам о мой талант?" (Misha, remember I told you about my talent?)

"Да," Misha answered. (Yes.)

"Ну я иду к использованию, чтобы поставить вас спать и ослабить вашу боль, так что мы можем транспортировать Вас нашей плоскости," Jasper explained. (Well I am going to use to put you to sleep and to ease your pain, so that we can transport you to our plane.)

"Я понимаю" Misha said. (I understand.)

"Хороший. Вы - очень храбрый молодой человек, чтобы оставить все, что Вы когда-либо знали," said Jasper. (Good. You are very brave young man to leave everything, that you ever knew.)

"Вы не дали мне много выбора так, почему жалуются на это? Но только так вы знаете, что я бы выбрал пойти с вами. Я узнал только через несколько часов, что я не могу и не будет жить без Мелисса," said Misha. (You didn't give me much of a choice, so why complain about it? But just so you know what I would have chosen to go with you. I have found out in only a few hours that I cannot and will not live without Melissa.)

"Я might've первоначально угрожал Вам, но Вы поднялись, к, вызов и приняли это как ваша судьба и для которого я являюсь гордым," said Jasper with a look of pride. (I might've originally threatened you, but you have risen to the challenge and have accepted it as your destiny, for which I am proud.)

Misha looked stunned at Jasper's words for just a second and then suddenly he yawned and then yawned again and it was only seconds later that he was fast asleep.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

The plane had been in the air for half an hour when Jasper put it on autopilot and headed back to where Misha lay on one of the couches that was in the lounge area where the seats for passengers usually were. Melissa of course had not left his side, not for a moment, since they had managed to get him on board with only minimum difficulties.

Paying off the guards had been a good idea as most of them were already crooked and so a payoff was not unusual. Jasper couldn't really blame the airport employees for taking bribes for as he had told Bella there had been a lot of cutbacks at government owned facilities and the airport was just one of many that the funding had been cut.

Misha had survived the journey although even with Jasper using his powers to soothe his pain and keep him asleep he still groaned a few times as some of the roads were quite a rough. It was a miracle that he had survived the journey considering his injuries, but he had, somehow.

Melissa moved out of the way when she saw Jasper come through the door from the cockpit and stood as close as she could and not be in Jasper's way so that he could do his walk. Melissa wasn't looking forward to the love of her life screaming for three whole days but she knew it was a necessary pain in order for him to be transformed into a vampire.

Jasper ripped Misha's clothes off because he didn't want to move him around too much and possibly cause him to go into shock and so in just a second Misha was completely buck naked causing Melissa to stare in awe at the naked body of her mate. Very lascivious and naughty thoughts went through her mind as to what she would like to do to him, although that was going to be a while she knew. Melissa tried to get her libido under control as she knew it was going to be at least several months before they could do that if not more. Melissa tried her best not to stare at Misha's penis which was laying flaccid and flat at the moment, but had to be at least eight inches or maybe even eight and a half and at least several inches in diameter. She couldn't wait until she had his cock shoved into her pussy and she had her first orgasm in four years. She hadn't had sex in almost four years because she was a vampire and they rarely encountered other's of their kind that were friendly to their little coven or that she liked enough to have sex with and in fact it had only happened once when she'd been a vampire for just over five years and that was three years ago. She had had to pleasure herself for those four years just to relieve her sexual tension, but she knew having sex with your mate was supposed to be vastly different, at least according to Bella and Melissa could hardly wait to see if it was true.

Jasper bent down and bit into the side of Misha's neck making sure to only take a couple of mouthfuls of blood as Misha had lost way to much already, before pushing an much of his venom into him as he could. He then did each wrist and ankle before he stood back up. It was only a few seconds later that Misha started to scream so loud that it reverberated all around the passenger cabin of the plane.

"Well, it is done," Jasper as he watched Misha scream and thrash about in agony. Melissa was at his side in an instant and used her arms to get Misha to stay still by putting her arms over his stomach and trapping his arms at his sides.

"I'll be in the cockpit, if you need me," Jasper told his daughter. Bella came through the door that led to the cabin for second-class passengers and came and put an arm around Melissa shoulders in a hug. "Misha will be okay," Bella told her friend.

"I hope so," Melissa said as she watched the love of her existence scream and scream and scream as if he was being burned alive from the inside out, which wasn't far off of what was actually happening.

"Are you planning on staying out here with Misha until we get to this place in Canada that Jasper has told us about?" asked Bella already knowing the answer, for she know if it had been Jasper who was going through transformation she wouldn't have left his side until it was over.

"Yes," Melissa answered simply never taking her eyes away from the man she loved.

"Тсс! Вы должны быть все еще, Миша," Melissa soothed him putting a hand on his cheek in a gesture of affection. (Shh! You must be still, Misha.)

Misha quieted at the sound of Melissa's voice, although he still screamed as if he was being dipped in boiling lava. Since talking to him seemed to at least stop him from thrashing so Melissa sat at his side and started to talk about her life as a vampire and what she could remember of her human one.

She talked to him for hours and before she knew it the plane was landing on the lake at the little Canadian house way out in the middle of nowhere.

Once the plane had stopped at the little dock that was there at the end of the lake and the engine had been shut off Melissa picked up Misha and headed for the door of the plane.

"Where is this house?" asked Melissa as Jasper came out of the cockpit.

"It's just a couple of miles away I'll show you," Jasper said as he opened the plane door and then jumped down onto the dock. Melissa did the same having no trouble whatsoever jumping the distance between the dock and the plane door even with Misha in her arms.

Once Bella had also jumped down the three of them started to run at vampire speed with Jasper in the lead as he was the one that knew where the house was. Jasper was right that the house was relatively close to the lake and it was not very long until they reached it. In fact it couldn't've have been more than a minute if that and when they reached it the two women gasped as it was more than just regular house as it had to be at least four floors and was humongous with several wings going off at angles.

"You call this a house?" ask Bella as she studied it still in shock. "This is in the house it's practically a mansion, especially considering where we just just left."

Melissa snickered at that and then Jasper said, "Well shall we get Misha inside?"

Jasper led the way to the front door and then went to where he had hidden the key so that no human would think to look for it there. Of course Jasper hadn't left the key under a flowerpot, but had put it somewhere so hard to get to that a human couldn't've gone up there without a ladder, but a vampire could. The key was hidden on the roof in a little niche that protected it from the wind and rain and other weather.

Once Jasper had gotten the key from the roof the three of them entered the house which was very dusty and dirty as it hadn't been occupied in years and probably decades.

"The bedrooms are up those stairs and down the hall," Jasper told Melissa. "Why don't you choose a room for you and Misha?"

"We are definitely going to have to do some cleaning," said Bella wrinkling her nose at all the dust in the air. She was sure it was only because she was a vampire that she wasn't sneezing her head off right now as vampires couldn't sneeze.

"We're going to have to go into town and buy sheets for the beds and other necessaries," Jasper said. "I'm afraid I haven't use this place and at least 70 or 80 years."

"Which explains the dust," Bella told him, running a finger over the bannister to the stairs. When Bella lifted her finger it was to see it covered in at least an inch of dust and she hadn't even made a clean spot on the bannister.

Jasper shrugged and said, "I'm sorry it's so dusty, but this is the only place I could think of that was far enough away from civilization that his screams were not going to be heard."

"What about that place in Montana where Melissa and I were changed and spent our newborn year?" asked Bella wondering why Jasper hadn't just taken in there instead.

"Going back to Montana was not a good idea," Jasper told Bella calmly. "For one thing we have not been gone long enough for the population to recover from five vampires being in the neighborhood for two years straight. Second the human were starting to notice that a lot of people had disappeared without a trace even if they were just criminals or a few homeless people. When humans start to notice that people are just disappearing and no bodies are ever found... well even if those people were not the most upstanding members of society the decent, law abiding folks begin to wonder if they'll be next, so it was just much better if we came here instead of going there."

"I see your point," Bella said wondering why she hadn't thought about it like that. Billings Montana was after all only 104,000 humans and that wasn't very many with five vampires in the neighborhood that were going to settle down there for a while, Toronto on the other had a population of millions.

"You know we didn't check into this country properly and we don't have any passports or visas," Bella said after a moment. "Or maybe it is better to say that we do have the passports and visas, well all except for Misha, but that we didn't stop at the border or land in an airport in order to check in."

"It doesn't matter no one will ever find us out here in the middle of nowhere expect maybe the occasional hiker and they are not going to be asking us for our passports or if we entered the country properly."

Bella snickered at that knowing it was true as from what she had seen so far just on the way here they were surrounded by trees and this place was very hard to find as it was off the road or well used trails.

"Now you and me need to go buy a delivery van of some kind," Jasper said. "Something big."

"But what they ask us for passports since we are not Canadian?" asked Bella.

"I'm sure I can bribe somebody," Jasper said. "It doesn't necessarily have to be new so long as it runs. I don't think that somebody trying to sell us a car or van is going to ask us if we have proper passports to be in the country.

"You think of everything don't you?" Bella said as a reluctant smile found it's way to her lips. She tried not to worry, but unfortunately she was just a natural worrier. She gave Jasper a kiss on the lips and the two of them were sad that they could not continue that kiss as they normally would have, but there was too much to do, unfortunately.

"We'll find time once all the little details are taken care of," Jasper said as he roughly pushed Bella against the wall and covered her face with little kisses, licks and nips.

Bella groaned and was hoping Jasper would continue what he was doing but after squeezing her breast through her shirt a few times he let her go and she moaned in disappointment.

Jasper grinned wickedly as he was very pleased at the reaction of his mate and he had only licked, nipped, kissed her face and fondled her breast a little. It really didn't take much to get Bella wet and wanting him and the reverse was also true, but unfortunately neither of them had the time to fulfill their desires at the moment.

"Do you think that Melissa will be okay here by herself?" asked Bella looked a little worried. "I mean what if some human comes by while we are gone?"

"I chose this place for a reason," Jasper told Bella gently rubbing his hand up and down her arm in a soothing gesture. "If you had been paying attention you would have noticed that this area didn't smell like humans at all, which means there have been none who have discovered our little hideaway in a very long time. Besides even if some human did discover this place we would just send them on their way with directions to the nearest road or if they persisted or were rude then we would just get rid of them. After all hikers disappear all the time and their bodies are never discovered."

Bella winced at that, but also knew that it was necessary for they could not have word getting out that there was somebody that lived out here as it was possible that some authority would come calling although not very likely she admitted.

"I'll forge us some proper IDs and make sure that I put us in as residents in the correct computers," Jasper said who never went anywhere without his laptop, which had all the right programs on it for forging IDs."

"But our passports still aren't stamped," Bella protested.

"Don't worry I have a way to solve that too," Jasper assured with a wink. "I know what color of ink they use on passports in most countries and I'll just get the proper stamp and mix up my own ink."

"You just have an answer for everything don't you?" Bella asked as she gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"I have been around a long time if you remember and you pick up a lot of things in that amount of time even if some of it is subconsciously. A lot of times you don't realize that you are learning things until it just comes to mind when you need it," Jasper told her with a shrug. "I might have to steal some poor guards stamp and make him think he just lost it, but it can be done."

"Why not just steal the ink to?" asked Bella, curiously.

"Because it is guarded much more closely than the stamps themselves," Jasper said. "It's a special recipe and you have to know the ingredients and precisely what amounts of them to put into the mixing tubs in order to get exactly the right color."

"Why is it so complicated?" asked Bella.

"To stop forgers from forging passports to enter the country illegally or selling them to others so that they don't have to go through the border. Some crooked people have of course figured out how to do that and theirs is at least close to what the Canadian use and in fact it is close enough that unless you have very special equipment is impossible for a human to tell that it is not quite the right color."

"Unless you are a vampire with senses keen enough that you don't need the equipment that a human would," Bella pointed out dryly.

"Unless you are a vampire," Jasper agreed. "The fact of the matter is that Canadians watch out for that so they study the passports very closely just to make sure that the colors match, although they aren't as careful about that on the border as they are in the city. Now we should tell Melissa where we're going and be on our way."

Bella nodded and headed upstairs to inform Melissa where they were heading and that they would be back soon.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

Three days later Misha completed the change and Melissa was by his side every minute as vampires didn't need to sleep, use the bathroom or eat every day. During that three days Jasper and Bella had been quite busy. They had unloaded the plane of their luggage, gone into town and by checking ads in the local paper found someone who was trying to sell a delivery van and bought it without even arguing about the price as they were in a hurry. After that they made sure that the van had fake license plates that couldn't be traced to the person—as they didn't want to get the seller in trouble—they had bought it from or to them. When they had purchased the van they had filled it up with gas and they headed back to the house that was located in the middle of the woods. There was a trail to the house big enough for a vehicle, but it was quite well hidden and only Jasper knew where it was. The trail was by no means a road and it was quite bumpy and Jasper had left it like that on purpose as he didn't want people to think that it was used regularly and they even went so far as to wipe out their tire tracks so that it would be no evidence that the trail had been used it all. If the trail was driven on enough eventually it would create ruts in it and so Jasper had several bags of dirt from elsewhere that was the same kind as the trail sitting off in a corner of a shed that was on the property to use in order to fill all the tire tracks when they became noticeable. Even sweeping them out every time they used the trail would not prevent ruts eventually.

As the time of Misha's change came to an end Jasper and Bella went into town and hunted down some human criminals carrying them to the van after knocking them unconscious for Misha would be hungry as soon as he woke. It took him several trips in order to get enough humans for two vampires as Melissa had not fed since that night she had discovered Misha in that alley and so was bound to be thirsty as she had only drained that one man that had hurt her mate and just killed the other one without a hint of remorse at her actions and neither Jasper or Bella blamed her a bit for her for they would have done exactly the same if it had been them and their mate was human and dying. Besides Melissa had always hated bullies and that was what those men who had hurt Misha had been.

It was decided that Melissa would be the only one there when Misha woke up and that Jasper and Bella would wait downstairs. Jasper especially would scare a new vampire thanks to all his scars and unlike Bella, Misha would be scared of him at first. Even Melissa had been a little scared of him as her instincts told her to either fight or flee, but thanks to Bella mostly that had been kept to a minimum while Misha would not have someone he trusted to assure him that Jasper was not going to hurt him.

Finally after what seemed like a very long wait Misha screaming stopped and his heart beat just a couple more times before also coming to a halt.

Misha immediately opened his eyes and looked around alone wondering where he was or who he was for that matter.

"Миша," said a low, breathy female voice that immediately made Misha turn towards the sound. (Misha)

The second that female voice said his name memories begin flashing through his mind and it didn't take very long to sort them all out. He was Misha Luka child of Nadiya and Alexi Grekov who had been simple farmers and who had had six children, him being the youngest. He had three older brothers although at the moment he could remember their names and two older sisters.

"Misha, talk to me," Melissa pleaded forgetting and speak Russian as Misha had not said a word in several minutes.

"Melissa," said Misha in English and then looked astonished by that as he did not know any language, but Russian as far as he could remember.

"You speak English?" asked Melissa in astonishment.

"I didn't as far as I know when I was human," Misha said very carefully as if trying out each word making sure it was the correct one. "I am not sure how I know the language now."

"That has to be your talent," Melissa mused and Misha looked at her as he had understood the words but not the meaning. "We'll discuss it later as aren't you thirsty?"

"You mean this fierce and unquenchable fire in my throat?" asked Misha.

"Yes," Melissa answered. "And no it is not unquenchable, but what you need is human blood. Jasper and Bella have brought you some humans to get rid of your thirst."

Misha thought about it and remembered both Jasper and Bella if only very vaguely.

"Do you remember them?" asked Melissa.

"A little," Misha admitted after a moment.

"Well Jasper is leader of this family and also my father and Bella is his wife. Jasper is the one that changed you into a vampire as he knew that you were my mate."

Upon hearing the word mate Misha immediately felt a very strong pull that led in the direction of Melissa who was sitting just a foot or so from him.

"Is that what the tug means that I feel towards you," asked Misha speaking very careful English still not knowing how he knew how to speak it when before all he could speak was Russian and English and Russian were two totally different languages with different alphabets.

"It is," said Melissa as she came to sit beside him on the bed giving him a hug and a very sensuous kiss on the lips. "Now we had better stay downstairs so that we can get you some blood, I need some to for that matter as I did not leave your side for a moment since you began your change."

"I know it as I can remember you talking to me mostly in English I think as I remember thinking at the time through the pain that the words sounded strange so I knew that they were not in Russian."

"I did talk to you for all three days," Melissa said and would have been blushing if she could. "You will find that vampires do not need to eat human food, sleep, use the bathroom, brush their teeth or any of those things that humans need to do so there was no reason for me to leave your side. We do have to drink blood, but unlike the legends we are not prevented from going out in the sunlight although we do sparkle in bright sunlight nor do we sleep in coffins since as I said we don't sleep." Melissa shrugged as if to to say that was just the way it was when you were one of the undead so to speak. Melissa rose from the bed pulling Misha with her and head for the bedroom door. "One more thing before we head downstairs," said Melissa with her hand on the doorknob

"What's that?" asked Misha.

"Jasper asked me to warn you that he has a lot of scars and for a newborn vamp seeing those scar on one of their kind will make their instincts go haywire and tell you to either fight or flee. It is very hard to injure a vampire because of their stonelike skin, but Jasper did a lot of fighting for the first few decades of his existence. I'm sure he'll tell you the story later, but that is where his scars come from as it is only our kinds fingernails and teeth that can injure one of our kind since they are made out of the same substance as our skin."

Misha considered that, "I'll try to ignore my instincts."

"That's going to be hard," Melissa told him sympathetically, "as your instincts tend overtake your reason for the first few months anyway. I should know, but now let's head downstairs and as I'm sure your throat is killing you about now."

Misha and Melissa headed downstairs Misha having to concentrate on moving at human speed and not vampire speed as that was only natural since Misha was now one of the undead and it would take concentration to remember to move at a normal human pace at least until it became ingrained to do so.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

Once downstairs they found Jasper waiting for them in the shadowed doorway of the den and his eyes were a little weary and he appeared quite tense as well as weary as if he expected to be attacked. Although Misha's instincts were indeed going haywire as Melissa had warned him and he did want to attack the man that looked at him with such alertness he managed to convince himself that he didn't need to and that Jasper was not going to hurt him.

Jasper relaxed a little finally and said, "Если вы будете следовать за мной, я буду считать вас к где мы сохранили людей для вас кормить дальше." (If you follow me, I'll take you to where we have people for you to feed on.)

Misha followed Jasper and Melissa sped up until she was beside the man she considered her father in every way, except blood. "You will no longer have to talk to him in Russian for some reason he can speak English now," Melissa told Jasper.

Jasper looked startle at that and then looked back at Misha as if to confirm Melissa words.

"Yes, I can speak your language. How that happened I am not sure," Misha confirmed.

Misha's words were stilted and the phrasing was a little odd but it was still perfectly understandable. "All I know is that Melissa stayed with me while I was changing and talked to me the whole time. Having her there helped as as long as I heard the voice of," Here Misha went back to using Russian as if he didn't know the words for the English phrasing or perhaps he felt as if they didn't convey the meaning that he wanted it to, "Мой ангел," (My Angel) And indeed there were connotations on the Russian words that conveyed whole levels of meaning that would not have been there if he had said it in English, "was there and talking to me then I knew everything was alright."

Melissa ducked her head to show she was embarrassed at Misha's words.

"Well this is an interesting development," Jasper said with a raised eyebrow, which was all the surprise he showed.

They walked to where Jasper had all the humans locked up outside the house in a holding pit that had been dug specifically for that purpose and then fitted with a wooden grill like door so that the humans could still breathe and could only be opened from the outside. Also Jasper had made sure that the hinges on the door were on the outside and not the inside as well as making sure that the walls of the pit were smooth so that there was no way that a human could climb them without equipment. There was a lock on the outside of the door and Jasper took the key out of his pocket and unlocked the padlock and when Melissa and Misha looked down they saw that the pit was quite deep and there was no way a human could jump high enough to get out if for door some reason the grill door was left unlocked and opened. It was also fairly big as it would hold up to at least ten humans at a time without crowding and allow them to lay down and sleep if they had to. As for necessary functions there was a latrine hole dug into the corner for them to pee and poop in, and several bukets of water, which was very primitive, but they weren't going to be alive long enough to worry about it.

"How do you get down?" asked Misha eagerly as he could smell the humans blood from here and hear they're frantic heartbeats, which had increased the minute they saw the three vampires. "We have a rope ladder that leads down, but you don't really need it as you can just jump," Jasper told him quite calmly.

Misha didn't need to be told anything else and bunched up his muscles and leaped down as easily as he would have climbed down a ladder had he still been human. Once Misha landed on the dirt of the pit on his feet there was no stopping him and he was on his first human in less then one of their heartbeats and draining the man dry in no time at all. There were several women there, but he avoided them and grabbed another man after he had dropped the first corpse to the ground about two minutes after he had started draining the blood of his first meal as a vampire. It appeared that Misha needed no instruction on how to feed as most vampires did not as it was just instinct. Jasper also noted how Misha avoided the woman and made a mental note that apparently he preferred men for his meals, not that there was anything wrong with that. It probably had to do with the fact that Misha had been raised and born in Russia and that was a communist country that didn't treat women as equals a lot of the time as they did in America. They would have to train that out of him somehow, Jasper knew or Bella would probably murder him if she didn't get treated as an equal as she would not be treated like anybody's chattel. Of course, Misha had not displayed this particular trait when he had been laying in Melissa's bed in the penthouse in Russia, but at the time he was injured and so that might have made a difference. Of course it could just be that he couldn't think of harming a woman and would treat them as equals the rest of the time, but that might be a problem with training him to fight for that meant that he would have to take on that task alone, although he supposed he could call on Peter and Charlotte for help if he had to.

Jasper knew that he was going to have to have a little talk with his new son, but probably not until after the year mark when his newborn stage was at an end as he knew very well how most woman were treated in Russia. Some woman in rural communities were treated better then in the city and he was pretty sure that Misha had come from one of them as he would have known to be on his guard and would not have been so easily attacked if he had lived in the city all his life.

Also either his mother or his father were not Russian as he could tell that Misha was only half Russian because of his skin color and other things so that meant that he might not have any ideas about women being inferior. He really hoped that was true or Bella would rip him a new one with no trouble at all as she had not trouble standing up for herself quite well and would take no crap from anyone not even him, but that was not a problem as he treated her like a princess and she seemed to bloom under the influence. He had learned long before he had met Bella that you treated someone as you wished to be treated. If you treated someone like crap that was how you were going to be treated, but if you treated someone like royalty they gave you the same thing in return and this had proved true over the years. In other words if you treated someone as an equal that was what you got back but if you treated someone like they were your servant or slave they would rebel and with good reason. There were a lot of men in the world that did not understand this or if they did, didn't care, but he had been around a long time and he had always treated women as equals, well ever since he had escaped from Maria he had for he had not known any better in Maria's army and had been nothing, but a bloodthirsty monster that followed her orders without question and suppressed his emotions as his guilt, sadness, apathy, and rage at having to turn innocent humans into newborns and then kill them after a year had about drowned him and driven him insane.

Jasper looked down and saw all that Melissa had joined her mate and was feeding off one of the women that Misha had refused to drain.

"Let us go," some of the people begged from down in the pit when they saw Jasper standing there watching as what they thought of as monsters kill them one by one.

"Sorry no can do," Jasper called down to them. "You know what we are now and even if we wanted to let you go we couldn't. Besides it's not like any of you are law-abiding and decent citizens all of you are the dregs of society as you are rapist, pimps, murderers, muggers and drug dealers and we do have to eat."

"No we don't know what you are," said one man and Jasper could tell that he really didn't realize they were vampires although the other two humans looked to him as if he was crazy as they had realized that what they had encountered was indeed vampires out of myths and legends and who were supposed to be pure fantasy and not real.

"You really don't realize what we are," Jasper said in wonder as he felt the human who had spoken emotions and realized he was speaking the truth, "the other two are looking at you as if you are insane."

"What are you?" asked the man.

"I would think you would know that we are vampires," Jasper told him with an absolutely evil smirk that made the humans remaining shudder.

The man spluttered not wanting to believe it, but finally realized that it must be true as there was only three people left including him as the rest were corpses and the two vampires were heading in their direction still looking very hungry. The man looked at the two vampires and realized suddenly that he was about to die something that he had not planned to do for at least another 30 or 40 years at least, but now he really didn't have any choice in the matter as he was a captive and unable to escape as someone had made sure of that by making the pit walls as smooth as glass. They had a primitive latrine and enough room to sleep as well as several buckets of water with a dipper, but that was it. There was no food and he supposed that there was no point in feeding whoever was put down here if they were going to die in a day or two. At this time in his life the man really wished that he had gone into an honest line of work for if he had he probably wouldn't be about to die right now as all of them down here were criminals of one sort or another as that was apparently all these vampires hunted.

The male vampire approached him and the man knew it was his turn to die and didn't bother begging for his life as he knew it would do no good whatsoever. Besides a man had his pride, even one such as himself. The vampire struck as fast as greased lightning and the man felt the pain of razor sharp teeth biting into his flesh and he knew he had only minutes left to live. As sometimes happens his whole miserable life started to flash before his eyes and it wasn't long before his vision begin to dim and only a minute after that he was dead the life fading slowly from his eyes.

"How do we get out here?" asked Misha as he looked at the entrance to the pit which was at least 30 feet over his head.

"You simply jump up," Melissa told him. "As a vampire you can jump much higher than a human and you should have no problem getting up over the edge and back onto solid ground.

"So what are we going to do about the corpses?" asked Melissa as soon as she had jumped up out of the pit Misha following having no trouble making the thirty foot jump thanks to his new vampire muscles.

"Bella and I will bury them out in the forest where they will never be found," Jasper said. "Why don't you and Melissa go back to the house we have a few things to explain to you after we do that."

"What are you going to do when it rains?" asked Misha. "If it rains very heavily that pit is going to turn to a mire and won't be suitable to use as a prison for humans."

"I know," Jasper said, quite proud of Misha for thinking of that considering he was not even a day old. That he could already think logically was practically a miracle, but on the other hand though he had known about vampires even if it was only for an hour or two before he was knocked unconscious so that he could be changed elsewhere and so had had at least some idea of what was going to happen to him so perhaps that had made the difference. Oh he was still kind of twitchy as he walked as far from Jasper as he could get, although that was to be expected really at least until his newborn instincts stopped telling him that Jasper was dangerous and to either fight or flee. Really he was doing much better then all the newborns Jasper had changed during the Southern Wars and he had only known maybe two hours beforehand about what he was to become.

That he could now speak English puzzled Jasper a great deal as before he could only speak in his native tongue. Was it some kind of talent he wondered and why has it developed this soon as usually it took at least a few months to discover if you had a talent and sometimes it took years or even decades.

Of course, Melissa had spoken to him for the entire three days figuring the sound of her voice would soothe him, but had not bothered to speak Russian, so perhaps that was at least partly why he was now speaking a kind of stilted English that would improve the more he heard others speak it. Even while he had burned from the change he would have heard Melissa's words and some part of him probably had absorbed them. Perhaps giving him an encyclopedia of English words and terms would be the thing to do.

He would have to think on this little later, but not my now as he and Misha had a few things to discuss since he was much more coherent then Jasper had really expected him to be.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

"Разве вам понравится ваш первый убивает, Миша?" (Did you enjoy your first kills, Misha?) asked Bella as soon as they entered the house. Misha was kind of skittish when he first saw her, but calmed down immediately as he saw that she had no scars and realized that this must be Bella that Melissa had mentioned. Melissa's soothing hand on his arm also probably helped him to realize that there was no danger here. Jasper had been ready to intervene if he had to, but calmly walked over to Bella and put his arm about her shoulders and said, "Let's go into the living room, shall we?"

Although the words were phrased politely it was not really a request and Misha immediately recognized that and so did not protest as he followed Jasper and Bella into the living room.

"There is no need to talk Russian to Misha, anymore," Jasper told Bella. "Somehow he has gotten the ability to speak English."

Bella looked just as startled at that as Jasper had but made no comment.

"How, we don't really know, it could be just his talent to speak different languages, but we really don't know until he test him."

"What is that you wanted to talk to me about, sir?" asked Misha.

"I told you to call me Jasper before you were changed, do you remember?" asked Jasper looking at Misha intently.

Misha thought about it and had a vague memory of the same man telling him to call him Jasper and welcome to the family. The man didn't appear as handsome or have any scars in his memories, but Misha figured that was probably because his human eyes had been too weak to discern the scars as now his eyesight was at least 1000 times better than it had been before. He could now see the grain that made up the wooden wall that was just across from where he was sitting, the dust in the air and the thread that made up the cushion of the chair he was sitting in without really concentrating hard and he never could've done that if he had still been human

"Yes," Misha said after a moment.

"Then why are you being so formal?" asked Jasper.

"I suppose it has to do with the way I was raised," said Misha as if struggling to find the right words, which just seemed to come to him after a moment. "I was taught to be polite to my elders."

Jasper chuckled and Misha looked offended, "It's nothing against you Misha," Jasper assured him as soon as he quit chuckling. "There is nothing wrong with being polite, but there's no reason to call me sir all the time as we are going to be a family and that can get rather tedious. Yes, I am older and I won't deny that, but I would do anything for my family and that includes protecting you if I had to or getting you out of a bad situation if necessary. However, I will also give you the skills to protect yourself from others of our kind. Not all our kind are very peaceful as there are plenty of them that would do anything to get what they want and that includes killing you if they had to or even if they didn't have to just for the sheer joy of it. In fact I insist that you call all of us by our first names because if you sir or ma'am us all time we will get tired of it very quickly."

"Yes, s...Jasper," said Misha correcting himself at Jasper's stern look, but since his red eyes were twinkling Misha knew he wasn't really mad, but was serious about being called by first names only.

"Good," said Jasper with a wink in Misha's direction. "Now I believe you need to answer my wife's question from the moment you came in the door."

"Are you sure, I should do that?" asked Misha little apprehensive as telling a woman how he had felt about his first kill was not something that he would normally have considered doing.

"You must not treat me or Melissa any different then you would a man," Bella told him looking serious although she wasn't mad—yet. "We are also predators just like you are and can be just as violent and vicious as you as well. I know very well how women are treated in your country as I did live there for seven years, but I will not be treated like chattel or a servant who doesn't have a brain," Bella told him. "Most women are just as intelligent as men are or even more so in some cases, but in some countries they are treated worse than serfs and more like like pets that are as dumb as rocks with no brains to speak of. I will not be walked all over and treated as less than an equal or you will feel my wrath. I will not kill you as that would upset Melissa, but you will regret treating me as anything, but an equal and that goes for Melissa as well. We women do not need to be protected from the big bad world as a lot of men are wont to do as we are perfectly capable of taking care of ourselves."

Misha looked completely shellshocked from Bella's speech and Melissa patted him on the shoulder soothingly kissing his cheek. "As much as it pains me to admit it she's right," said Melissa looking at Bella and saying the words teasingly only to see Bella stick her tongue out at her friend. "We women are much stronger than a lot of men give us credit for and as vampires that is doubly true."

"You must learn to adopt and change," Jasper told Misha. "You're in America now where women are treated much better than they are in Russia. I am not saying that every man believes in woman's quality, but despite a percentage of the men population not caring about women rights they still have much better lives here and many more rights that are actually enforced then they do in your country. If I treated Bella or Melissa for that matter as less than equals they would not stand for it, that I guarantee you."

"It was…satisfying," Misha finally answered after a moment as if looking for the right word. "If I know one thing it is that Russians are much harder than Americans as we live much harder lives, and so it was a pleasure to drain those men dry."

"You only drained the men why not the women?" asked Jasper curious as to the answer.

"I couldn't possibly hurt a woman, sir!" exclaimed Misha reverting to being formal.

"I meant no offense," Jasper told him sending him some calm. "I was just curious that is all. I have known vampires in the past that prefer only women for their meals and others that like only men although those are usually female vampires. All of us don't really care who we feed off of so long as they are some kind of criminals so we hunt both men and women, but if you prefer just men that is fine too and there is nothing wrong with it."

Misha calmed down on his own at that so that Jasper didn't have to send him another dose of calm, which impressed Jasper no end that Misha already had such control over his emotions and he was only hours old. Most newborns emotions were all over the chart for at least the first three to six months and some didn't get control of their emotions for a year or more. A vampire's emotions were at least three times as strong as a humans if not four or five times as strong. Humans just weren't equipped to handle the strong emotions that a vampire could.

"However, you will have to learn to fight and that includes fighting women as you will come across female vampires in your centuries of existence that are just as vicious as the men, and if you do not fight them them and you will end up very dead—permanently dead."

"I couldn't do that," Misha protested.

"If you do not then someday you will come across a female of our kind that will want your head or just to fight you because she can and if you do not fight as I said just a second ago you will be dead and then Melissa will follow you into death, for it is almost impossible to survive without your mate once you have discovered them."

"Let me tell you what I think from a female perspective," Bella said, "Misha, females can be even more vicious than males simply because most men underestimate them. Throughout history females have gotten what they wanted by guile and being tricky and crafty although they are of course some out there that use force on a man to get what they want. Women are willing to do something that a man is not and that is to use their bodies as a kind of weapon by getting a man to concentrate on then to the exclusion of all else and that is when they strike as you are not expecting to be attacked by someone you consider a mere woman and therefore not dangerous. Even though you are a vampire this also applies because female vampires can be just as dangerous as their human counterparts and maybe even moreso. Being mated should protect you at least somewhat from a females vampires wiles, but that will only help you so much."

"Definitely more so," said Jasper as he remembered Maria. "I will tell you my story about how I became a vampire although I am not sure you are ready to hear it as my past is quite violent, but then you grew up in a violent country so maybe you are."

"I am ready to listen if you want to tell it," said Misha politely with interest on his face.

Jasper studied Misha's face as well as his emotion, then nodded and said, "Very well than, but you had better get comfortable because it is quite a long tale and will take several hours." Once he was sure everyone was comfortable and with Bella leaning her on his shoulder and rubbing soothing circles on his back he said, "I was born on a farm outside Houston Texas and as far as I can remember had at least one brother although I cannot remember his face or name. When I was 17 I joined the Confederate Army and back from the time I was a child I could get people to listen to me because I had what they called charisma."

Jasper told his story in stark detail and then got to the part where he'd met Maria, Lucy, and Nettie. "At the time they were three of the most gorgeous women I had ever seen and yet I sensed that they were dangerous, but the way I was raised was that you always helped a lady and I asked them if they needed help or an escort to the nearest town as they were kind of in the middle of a war zone. Maria chose that moment to strike and she did as fast as a cobra. It was only seconds later that I was down on the ground screaming in agony as Maria bit into my flesh in order to drain me dry, but then decided to change me instead."

Jasper went on to tell all about his first years as a vampire and how he had been in charge of the newborns, because his talent was so useful in controlling them. He then went on to explain about Peter and Charlotte and how he had helped them escape so that Charlotte wouldn't be killed as her newborn year ended.

"About a year later Peter and Charlotte came back for me and I went with them with no looking back. We ran for a long time as if the headless hunt was after us, but eventually we slowed our flight and just started traveling from place to place for awhile, but always looking over our shoulders fearing pursuit by Maria as she would not take what she would consider betrayal lightly. Eventually I left Peter and Charlotte not because I did not enjoy their company but because I couldn't take the fact that they loved each other and couldn't help showing it, especially with my talent to sense emotions. I had no one even though I love Peter and Charlotte as a brother and sister it was not the same thing as having a mate. I was a mess for a long time…"

Jasper went on to tell all about how he had met the Cullens and spent several decades living with them and how he had been married to Alice even though he had known that they were not mates and how he had discovered several decades later how Edward and Alice had been sleeping with each other almost since the beginning.

"I was devastated, it was more the fact that it shocked me because I had not been expecting it, then the fact that that they had been having sex for decades all right under the families noses. After that I left the Cullens and just wandered around for awhile after sending Alice the divorce papers. Alice didn't want to get divorced, but I gave her no choice as she had already been betraying me for decades with Edward practically ever since we had moved in with the Cullens."

Jasper told the rest of the story with no embellishments about how he had met Bella and saved her from being raped.

"It was like being struck by a lightning bolt for the minute I set eyes on her from the shadows of that alley I knew I had finally found my mate and I drained that rapist dry not bothering to put Bella to sleep as I should have done as no human is supposed to know about vampires unless they either become one or they die soon afterwards. Bella was never scared of me even though she had seen me kill that rapist and not use a human weapons to do so. She might not have known exactly what I was but she knew I was not human and yet she did not try to run from me, not that she would have gotten very far if she had. She told me afterwards that I had saved her life and since I hadn't killed her she figured that I didn't mean her any harm and she was right about that."

"Correction, I figured out exactly what you were seconds after you drained that guy's blood," Bella corrected who had remained silent throughout Jasper's story as she had heard it all before.

"I stand corrected," Jasper said with a smile kissing the top of his wife's head.

"What happened Maria?" asked Misha sounding merely curious and not at all upset at the story Jasper had just told, but then again Russia was a rather violent country.

"She's dead," Jasper told him. "Completely dead, as she was torn apart, her limbs burned, by the Volturi who are our rulers in punishment for her many crimes. She was caught by this vampire by the name of Dylan and taken to them for a very large reward as they had been wanting to catch her for decades. Her head was the last to be burned and she was forced to watch as all her limbs were burned to cinders before her head was put on the fire."

Jasper then finished his story and told Misha all about Edward and Alice and how Edward had been burned in accordance with the laws.

"You're right, you do have a very violent past, but you have risen above it from what I can see," Misha said, "but I was also right that I was ready to hear it because as you know Russia is a hard land and even though I don't necessarily like violence I understand it thanks to the land I was raised in and I will defend those I love even if I don't particularly live for violence like some Russians."

"That's exactly how I feel," Jasper said with a smile. "And have you noticed that your English is improving the more you talk? Your English no longer sounds so stilted like it did before."

"You're right," said Misha after thinking about it for a moment. "I would like to discover how I can speak English when I never could before. I might have known a dozen words in your language, but no more than that."

"Melissa, are you doing okay, you haven't said anything for a long time," Bella asked her friend as a silent.

"I'm fine," Melissa said. "I just didn't have anything to say that's all."

"You didn't have anything to say?" asked Bella as Jasper laughed. "Since when?"

Melissa stuck her tongue out at her friend as Bella teased her.

"Bella's right, you're not usually as silent as the grave," Jasper said with a cheeky grin.

"Now there is a rather a morbid image that I don't need stuck in my head, especially with a vampires perfect recall," Melissa said to Jasper.

"Well, at least it can't give you nightmares since you can't sleep," Bella said with a smirk in the direction of her best friend.

"But that image will also be very hard to get of out my head thanks to vampires eidetic memories. Once the image is in my head it will be with me forever as you well know," Melissa mildly complained.

"You'll live," Jasper said dryly, which was a rather ironic thing to say considering that vampires couldn't die unless they were burned.

Misha looked back-and-forth between the three and decided that he was going to like living in this family very much as he watched them tease each other lightheartedly with no hard feelings.

Despite not being related by blood they really were a family and much closer than most families that were related.

"Sometimes families of our own choosing are better and closer then those related by blood," Jasper told Misha quietly in an uncanny echo of his own thoughts.

"Can you read my mind?" asked Misha looking worried.

"No I can't read your mind," Jasper assured him, "but I can read your emotions and a lot of times that is just as good. Besides I've had decades of experience at being able to tell what people are thinking from facial expressions, body language as well as their emotions. All those things tell me a lot even when a person doesn't say a word. I was able to tell from your facial expression and your body language what you were really thinking and I echo the sentiment as sometimes family not related by blood, but of our own choosing is better and most times closer then blood relations."

"You know Jasper you never did explain how you knew to be waiting for me at the apartment door when I bought Misha injured to the penthouse," said Melissa who had been holding back her questions about the subject until now as she had other things to worry about like whether of not Misha would survive his transformation for example.

"I would think it would be obvious," Jasper said, "but really it isn't very complicated. Alice."

Misha looked back and forth between the three and then asked tentatively, "Is this the Alice we were talking about that was sleeping with Edward? The one that can see the future?"

"Yes, it is," said Jasper. "We parted as friends although we will never be as close as we once were. She called and told me that she had seen Melissa racing back to the penthouse with somebody who appeared injured in her arms although she couldn't tell who, so Bella and I knew to be ready for an emergency."

"I should've known," Melissa said shaking her head. She had never actually met Alice, but had heard a lot about her from the stories that Jasper told and also from Bella from the one time that she had met her.

"Now, Misha we must start on your training. I will train you just like I trained Bella and Melissa. You need to get ahold of strength or whenever you touch something if you are not paying attention you will turn it into rubble or break it whichever one."

"Can't it wait a few days," Melissa whined. "I haven't had any time with him at all since he just woke up four hours ago and he's been here all this time."

Jasper considered for a moment then said, "I suppose it can wait a day or two, but no more than that."

"Thanks, Jasper, you're the best," Melissa told him hopping from her perch on the arm of Misha's chair and gave Jasper a kiss on the cheek.

"You're welcome," Jasper told her, "but he will have to start working to gain control of his strength after the next time he feeds, you understand me Melissa Whitlock?"

"Yes, sir," Melissa said cheekily and Jasper chuckled at her.

"Just one more thing before you go Misha. One thing I didn't mention before was that I have started the paperwork for you to take my last name. You will be Michel Whitlock from henceforth."

"Why Michel?" asked Misha in surprise.

"Because Michel is just another form of your name and it doesn't sound so strange. Misha sounds very Russian. There might be people who are still looking for you and if you go by Misha even with the last name change they might find you. It's going to be hard enough with your very thick accent, but the thing is that most people don't know a Russian accent from a French or German one so we will little bit safer there. Don't worry about it we'll still call you Misha, but if anybody gets curious you will be Michel Whitlock on paper and no one will be able to prove different unless they actually see you, but you look so different now that whoever did wouldn't be positive it was you. You can tell people that you were adopted into the Whitlock family."

Misha nodded and he and Melissa headed upstairs at a human pace.

"Well we certainly won't see them for the next couple of days," Bella snickered. "I have a feeling that they're going to be very busy."

"That's true," Jasper said, "but we will need to go get them a meal pretty soon and have it waiting for them. You know very well that Melissa will not be hunting for the next year, not until Misha can."

"You mean Michel," Bella corrected.

"No I mean Misha as that is who he will always be even if it is different on paper."

"You're right," Bella said thoughtfully. "I can't really think of him as Michel anyway even though I know that's just another form of his name as I am so used to calling him Misha. Do you think you did the right thing by not starting training immediately like you did with me and Melissa?"

"Yes," Jasper said. "The situation was a little bit different back when you and Melissa were changed almost 10 years ago. Not much I'll admit, but some. I don't think we'll have to encourage Misha to get control of his strength like we had to do with you and especially Melissa, not once they break the bed anyway. I just hope that Melissa remembers to tell Misha about the biting that completes mating bond before they start so he won't be surprised or balk at doing it thinking that he is hurting her."

"Let us hope so," Bella said. "Now Jasper what would you like to do for the next day at least while Melissa and Misha are busy?"

"Do you even have to ask?" asked Jasper with a smirk.

"Not really, no," said Bella. "Race you!" she added and was gone in a flash to the bedroom they had chosen Jasper following not a millisecond later.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

"Michel that name just does not seem to fit me," Misha said as he and Melissa entered the bedroom that Melissa had chosen.

"You'll still be Misha," Melissa told him gently. "Jasper just meant that you will be Michel on paper just in case anyone checks into your background. We can always tell them that Misha is just a nickname of Michael if anybody asks. Jasper is right when he says that Misha is a very unusual name and it sounds foreign and strange and not something that belongs in America although by your accent alone it is obvious that you are not from this country."

Misha relaxed at that as Melissa's words reassured him that he would still have the name that his parents had given him.

"Now, Misha, you and me have better things to do than talk," Melissa said seductively.

Misha looked at Melissa and realized that he wanted her very badly and had a hard time resisting once he realized that. "But we are not married yet," Misha protested some of his upbringing coming to the fore.

"And we will not be for at least a year or more," Melissa told him. "You do not necessarily have to be married to make love you know and are you telling me that you are a virgin at 25 years old? If you do I am not sure I will believe you because I certainly wasn't a virgin at 22 when I was changed."

"No, I am not a virgin, but I want to do right by you, Melissa as I love you much more than those other women I had sex with," Misha replied looking uncomfortable discussing such a private matter even with the woman he loved, for unlike Americans, Russians did not discuss such matters openly or rarely cared for the women they were married to.

"You will be doing right by me," Melissa assured. "Most vampires never really get married you know, especially not the mated ones as there is no need, since the bond is like being married in the vampire world. Our family has always been different in that respect as well is quite a few others. You do not need to worry about hurting me as vampires are very tough. The only thing you need to do is watch your strength as you'll be stronger than me for the next year when your strength will go to normal."

"Why am I strong living you only for the next year?" asked Misha curiously.

"The way Jasper explained it to me and Bella is because you still have your blood as well as vampire venom running in your veins, but after a year your blood will be replaced with just the venom and so your strength will go to normal although you'll still be much stronger then a human just like I explained to you before you were changed," Melissa explained. "This is the reason Jasper wanted you to get control of your strength as soon as possible for if you do not watch what you're doing you can rip your your clothes right off for example or crush a doorknob if you grasp it to hard."

"What am I going to do about clothes?" asked Misha looking worried. "I do not have anything, but the clothes on my back."

"Don't worry about that as it is taken care of," Melissa assured him. "Bella has already ordered you a bunch of new clothes off the Internet and they should fit as she's pretty good at judging sizes."

"But money…" Misha began.

"Has already been taken care," Melissa said. "You need to quit worrying. Jasper a takes care of his family and that means all of us, including you. You needed clothes and other essentials, so Jasper and Bella have ordered you a whole new wardrobe and they will not be like anything you have worn before. Don't worry about paying him back as Jasper did the same for both me and Bella when we were first changed as he did for Peter and Charlotte as well. It is actually expected that the vampire who changes someone takes care of all their needs, which means Jasper is doing just what he supposed by taking care of his family or coven if you prefer as that is the usual name for a group of vampires. It isn't just a matter of Jasper doing what he is supposed to, but that he genuinely cares about and loves all of us and yes that includes you for the minute I carried you through the door of the penthouse in Russia was the second he started to love you like a son, just like he loves me like a daughter and Bella as his mate."

Misha considered this for a moment his new vampire brain arriving at a conclusion much faster then his old human one could have hoped to have. "All right I can accept that," Misha decided and since it had been done for all the others who where part of the family he did not feel so much as if he was accepting charity although he would not let them buy him anything, but a few clothes as to take more then that would be charity and he would not have that as his honor would prevent him from accepting anything extravagant without paying it back in some way.

"Good. There is one more thing, before we get started on making new and brilliant memories together."

"What's that?" asked Misha his curiosity obvious.

"Just that when we make love for the first time in order to complete the bond that is between us your instinct will be to bite me just as mine will be to bite you and you must let this happen and must not be scared that you are going to hurt me for you won't and it is necessary."

"So I will have the urge to bite you and I must give into it and let it happen, is this correct?" asked Misha.

"That is correct," Melissa told him.

"Why?" asked Misha.

"I can't tell you because I don't know all I know is that it is part of a vampire instincts," Melissa said with a shrug. "All I do know is that the urge to bite is supposedly very strong and that you must not fight it. I believe it has something to do with the fact that technically we are animals even though we still look human and act human most of the time and our instinct as vampires are much stronger than humans as well, just like our emotions and our senses. Think of us like wolves. Wolves are loyal to their pack, they only take one mate unless that mate dies and they will fight or jockey for position, but they will do it openly without being sneaky or underhanded about it."

Misha nodded still looking a little apprehensive, but he no longer protested.

"Here let me help you out of your clothes so you don't rip them to shreds. Of course they will have to be thrown away as they are all bloody and have a lot of rips so I don't suppose it will matter if I do tear them apart."

"Rip them? What will I wear?" asked Misha.

"I'm sure your new clothes will be here by then," said Melissa airily. "I'm sure Bella asked for overnight delivery."

Melissa did just as she said she was going to do and ripped his clothes off throwing them into a nearby trashcan. Once Melissa took off her clothes Misha stared at her like a hungry tiger stares at a steak practically salivating.

"You like what see?" Melissa asked not at all nervous or apprehensive as she was comfortable with her body and Misha looking at it.

"Like isn't a strong enough word," Misha said just a little nervous as he had never made love with a woman that he truly loved with this whole heart and soul.

"Why don't you show me?" Melissa suggested with a coquettish wink pulling him onto the bed.

"You are gorgeous, do you know that?" asked Misha as he started to kiss all over her body, being extra careful to be gentle so as not to hurt her since he was apparently at least twice as strong as Melissa for the next year.

"You're welcome to give me many compliments as you want as I love to hear them," Melissa replied as she started to moan as her climax begin to near very quickly as she had not had sex in a long time.

Misha felt his penis start to spurt semen and he shoved it into Melissa's pussy as it really hadn't taken long at all for him to come probably because he actually loved Melissa and had been subconsciously wanting her ever since he had woken up into this new life. He supposed that the more time they spent making love the better they would both get.

Once his and Melissa's climaxes had subsided the two of them just stared at each other for a moment then Melissa encouraged, "That was good, but the more we practice the more we will improve and the longer will be able to last, before climaxing

Misha seemed to relax at Melissa's words and he started kissing her all over again with Melissa participating more this time by twining one hand in his hair and leaning up to also give him kisses along his neck and his chest while he did the same thing to her.

It took more time for both of them to get worked up although Melissa knew that they were still amateurs, but they would get better the more they practiced and she intended for them to practice a lot if she had anything to say about it.

This time as they made love the vampire part of Misha seemed to take him over and he growled and said slipping unconsciously back into Russian, "Ты моя! Вы слышите меня, моя подруга? Ты моя! И вы чертовски хорошо никогда не лучше забыть его; Если я поймаю вам, даже глядя на другого человека как вам, мне он ничего но разорванный плоть и кусочки костей с кровью везде будет как я будет даже не потрудились осушить его сначала, что бы к много из милосердия." (You are mine! Do you hear me, my mate? You are mine! And you had better damn well never forget it; for if I catch you even looking at another man the way you, do me he will be nothing but torn flesh and little bits of bones with blood everywhere as I will not even bother to drain him first as that would be to much of a mercy.)

"Я слышу вас Миша, я твой," (I hear you Misha, I am yours,) Melissa agreed breathlessly also in Russian as sensations coursed through her and were much stronger then she had ever felt before as she had never made love or fucked her one true mate before and therefore it was totally different. Melissa vaguely wondered why Misha's demon had threatened her, but realized that as Jasper had once told her about herself applied to Misha as well and in fact did to all newborn vampires. It was like the vampire part of Misha was still a baby that was just learning how to walk instead of crawl and talk instead of making baby noises. In a few years Misha would learn how to control his inner demon just like she did hers and his inner demon would mature to the point that he would realize that Melissa was not going anywhere without him, but in the meantime she needed to reassure him that she would not want anyone else. "Я буду; никогда не хочу кого-либо еще. Теперь я знаю, я подсознательно искал для моей мат с минуту я был превращен в вампира почти десять лет назад. Просто видя Джаспер и Белла и как они, полностью любовь и заботу друг для друга заставил меня подсознательно долго, чтобы найти мои собственные. Как я мог не с их примеру постоянно передо мной? Теперь у меня есть." (I will; never want anyone else. Now I know I was subconsciously looking for my mate from the minute I was turned into a vampire nearly a decade ago. Just seeing Jasper and Bella and how they completely love and care for each other made me subconsciously long to find my own. How could I not with their example constantly before me? Now I have.)

"Хороший. Удостоверьтесь, что Вы никогда не забываете это," said Misha growled still in his inner vampire mode. (Good. Make sure you never forget it.) "Теперь мы будет кусать друг друга, так что мы знаем, что мы принадлежим вместе за все время," Misha growled again his eyes now totally black instead of a bright newborn red. (Now we will bite each other, so that we know that we belong together for all time)

"С удовольствием! Радостно! Я буду в восторге, чтобы принадлежать к вам, для Однако долго мы живы на этой земле! Это может быть сто лет, тысячи или десятки тысяч, и он все равно не будет достаточно времени, с вами как годы будет казаться пройти в мгновение ока," Melissa said as her inner vampire was really chafing to do just that and she had only held her back through sheer force of will and experience. (My pleasure! Joyfully! I will be delighted to belong to you, for however long we are alive on this earth! It may be a hundred years, thousands or tens of thousands, and it still would not be enough time, with you as the years will seem to pass in the blink of an eye.)

They started making love again and it took no time at all before they both reached their climaxes and than bit into each other as their instincts took them completely over, Melissa on the side of Misha's neck and Misha on Melissa's opposite shoulder. There almost seemed to be a bang and a flash of light as the bond snapped into place now completed and no longer only partially activated.

Both laid back totally satisfied and even though there new marks stung the pain faded quickly.

"I have never been so happy," Misha told Melissa after a moment as he cradled her gently close to him.

"Yes and just think about what will happen once we have practice at making love?" said Melissa. "We will improve a lot and I'm sure that if we weren't immortal now it would kill us both because it will not be long before we don't have orgasms so quickly as we learn how to really please each other."

Misha thought about that and realized that it made sense. He had only had sex a few times in his entire 25 years and he knew that most of the women were much more experience and he and therefore had been able to hold off their climaxes while he had not because he was so inexperienced. "Did I hurt you?" asked Misha uncertainly as he noticed that Melissa moved a little gingerly being careful of the shoulder that didn't have the mating mark.

"A little," Melissa admitted, "It's just my shoulder as I believe you dislocated it when we made love, but don't worry about it I will heal just as soon as I feed again and it will be as if it never happened. I did warn you that you will a lot stronger and will be for the next year."

"Maybe you had better go feed now," Misha said in concern. "I don't want you to be in any pain, ever."

"Sometimes pain is necessary even for a vampire," Melissa told him gently. "The only way to avoid pain, especially emotional pain, is to walk around and feel nothing and go through life not caring about anyone or anything. When you feel nothing that means you don't feel any love, joy, gratitude, elation, happiness, contentment or any other positive emotions it all. Sometimes you must feel negative emotions in order to feel the positive ones. The same applies to physical pain and I'd rather be hurt, a little, than not make love with you at all as that has been the greatest joy of my existence so far."

"I'm glad," said Misha switching back to English, sounding amused.

"Be amused all you want," Melissa scolded him gently, but with a smile, "but you try living in a house with two mated couples and then just one after Peter and Charlotte left. Mated couples can't help but show affection for each other even with other people in the room. They can't help touching each other on the arm in a very intimate gesture regularly or giving them a kiss on the cheek or the neck or the lips as it just seems to be the nature of the bond to show their affection and love all the time. It's a very emotionally painful experience when you're the only single vampire in the house as it makes you wish that you had your own mate, but that will no longer be a problem since I have finally found you. It isn't that Bella and Jasper or Peter and Charlotte when they were staying with us at the ranch in Montana, meant to exclude me from things or to show affection in front of me, but they just couldn't seem to help it and expect us to be the same way as that is just the way mated couples are."

"So you did a vampire about 10 years?" asked Misha.

"Not quite," Melissa said, "but close. I really didn't expect to find my own mate quite this soon, if at all. I figured it would be at least 100 or 150 years before I did if not more."

"Why?" asked Misha, curiously as he looked into Melissa's red eyes.

"Because not very many vampires find their mates at all," Melissa told Misha, gently. "It is very rare indeed when a vampire discovers their one true mate. Of course, a large part of the reason that is," Melissa added her voice laced with humor, "is that most vampires never bother to look for their mate at all as they stay basically in one city or town and never travel. Even if they did if their mates just happened to be human most of them wouldn't recognize it as they consider humans nothing but a source of substance. Jasper was over 160 before he discovered Bella and that was sheer dumb luck or perhaps it was Fate's intervention I suppose we'll never know. Of course, it helps that Jasper was civilized so to speak, by his years living with the Cullens, or he might not have recognized Bella as his mate if he hadn't spent all those decades living with them."

"So what you say is accurate then yes I can see we're very lucky to have found each other so soon," Misha said.

"We are," Melissa said as she gave him a kiss on the lips which very quickly led to then making love again despite Melissa's hurt shoulder. Melissa didn't really care about her shoulder despite the pain as it wasn't like it was going to kill her, as even if she had still been human it wouldn't kill her. Hurt like hell yes, but kill her, no.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

Two days later both Melissa and Misha came downstairs both their eyes black from hunger as well as with burning throats. Before they had Melissa looked outside the door to find quite a few packages containing clothes for Misha and she had brought them inside the room, opened the boxes for him and then helped him put them on so that he wouldn't rip them to shreds.

Jasper who was the first to see them immediately said, "Your meal is out in that pit just like before. We've been lucky so far and it hasn't rained, although I do not expect that to continue. Here, Melissa, take the keys."

Melissa caught the keys with her opposite hand since her right shoulder hurt like hell still. The movement required in order to catch the keys hurt that shoulder as well and she winced.

Jasper immediately noticed that Melissa's winced and hadn't caught the keys with her right hand and since that was her dominant one so he asked, "Dislocated shoulder?"

"Yes," Melissa said honestly. "Now if you don't mind I'm going to go feed so that my shoulder will finally heal."

"Yes, you go look after that shoulder," Jasper agreed as he watched Melissa walk out of the house with Misha in tow, "but once you get back we need to get started on Misha's training."

"I know," Melissa called back as the two disappeared out the door.

"And make sure you lock the grill piece back when you are done," Jasper added in a normal tone of voice knowing that both would hear him because of their vampire hearing.

"We will," Melissa replied at the same volume.

When the two had disappeared out the door Bella came to Jasper side and said, "I'm surprised that all Melissa got was a dislocated shoulder considering a newborn is so much stronger than us older vampires."

"I'm sure they were careful," Jasper said, "but when you get lost in passion it is harder to control yourself and the only reason I was so successful as I have years of experience a controlling the Major. Misha, though, is so young, vampire wise that is and I'm surprised that he was even thinking about making love at all as I really didn't expect that for at least a year if not longer. I really didn't expect him to be anything except a hungry newborn who didn't have the sense of an older vampire like you and me and who would have to be watched just to make sure he didn't go and do something stupid."

"I did," Bella pointed out.

"That's a little different as you knew about a month beforehand."

"Three weeks," Bella reminded him.

"Three weeks, Miss Precise," Jasper teased her gently.

Bella arched an eyebrow at him, and replied, "And if I'm not who will be—you?" Bella's voice was so laden with disbelief and sarcasm that it was practically cuttable with a knife.

"I can be very precise when I have to be," Jasper said pretending to be offended.

"Only when you have to be," Bella said teasing him. "Someone has to be organized or we would never get anything done."

"I do know how to be organized, you know," Jasper said. "I was in the military and a military camp is always very organized and precise."

"Evidence to the contrary," Bella said with a teasing smirk.

"I'll have my revenge," Jasper promised teasing her. "Unfortunately I can't do it right this minute as they will be back pretty soon so we really don't have time to do what I really want to do to you."

Bella lowered her head in embarrassment as even if she couldn't blush anymore she still had the gestures that were left over from when she was human that told someone that she was and also Jasper could feel her emotions and tell that way even if he was very good at reading body language, especially that of his mate's as he knew her every gesture intimately.

She might've been embarrassed, but she gave as good as she got, Jasper thought with pride.

"I'm looking forward to it," Bella said nonchalantly. "I always look forward to anything you can think up to do to me. I enjoy trying new things as well as doing the old ones."

Jasper was very inventive when it came to thinking of new ways to please his mate and Bella was the same way as she occasionally came up with something new that she wanted to try.

"Don't worry we'll find the time," Jasper assured giving her a kiss on the lips that let her know that she could expect to be attacked, anywhere, at any time as he always wanted her.

They had never had sex against the wall of an alleyway in Russia since they had lived in the city, in a six bedroom penthouse and there were just to many people around to even consider it although they had had sex up against a tree out in the country more than once in their time there. Why always have sex in a bed as that would be very boring after awhile since they were almost immortal. Besides sometimes their feelings for each other were so great and if they were somewhere far from home, wherever home happened to be, and they had to make do with wherever they were. It had happened more then once in a forest up against a tree, and in a ditch on the side of the road and would continue to do so as Bella once told Jasper that if he wanted to have sex in the middle of Times Square with thousands of people surrounding them then she was willing to do that. The two of them had even started keeping extra changes of clothing in the car as they tended to rip the clothing they were wearing off each other, which would be very embarrassing if somebody saw them.

"As am I," Jasper assured her as he gave her another passionate kiss that lasted until they heard Melissa and Misha open the door to the house having just finished feeding.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

"Now, Misha," Jasper said holding an axe. "I want you to chop this log and you must be careful not to crush the axe handle or to use vampire speed, which is only natural to you now. The axe handle is only wood and it will be very easy to crush into just a few splinters if you are not very careful and this is how we're going to test your strength and speed. You will more than likely crush quite a few axe handles before you remember to control you strength or you will forget and use vampire speed instead of human before you get the hang of it, but that's okay as I gave Bella and Melissa the same test when they were first changed and it took them awhile to get the hang of it as well."

Misha listened intently to Jasper's instructions as when he and Melissa had been done making love they had discovered that they had destroyed the bed though Melissa hadn't seemed worried saying that she would just order a new one, but Misha with as little money as he had grown up with thought it was a humongous waste as beds were made to last and so he was determined to get control of his strength so that it didn't happen again, although they didn't necessarily need to make love on a bed as they could do that just about anywhere.

Misha took the axe Jasper offered him and was very careful not to grasp the axe handle too hard as he knew very well that he could turn it into a few splinters if he was not careful as he had already done that several objects in his and Melissa's room.

"Good," Jasper approved as he noticed how careful Misha was being. Misha turned back to the large log that was just laying in a clearing not far from the house. It had fallen in the forest and been dragged here by Jasper in order to do this test.

The clearing was far enough away from the house that there was no chance that it would be damaged if some kind accident happened and yet close enough to hear sounds if there was trouble, not that that was likely.

Misha swung the axe down and tried to be careful at controlling his strength, but wasn't too successful that first time as he cut halfway through the log instead of just chipping into it a little at a time, although he had yet to crush axe handle, which Jasper thought showed that he was really trying.

"That's good for a first try, Misha," Jasper assured his new son. "You haven't crushed the axe handle yet and there is something to be said about that as I remember the first time Melissa tried this exercise and she not only crushed to a pulp the axe handle she cut the log of all the way through instead of just chipping it."

"Ah, Jasper did you have to tell him that," Melissa whined. Melissa was standing off to the side watching as Misha and Jasper did there lesson, but hadn't said anything until now.

"Yes, I did," Jasper told her. "It will encourage him to know that he is not the only one that had trouble controlling his strength at first and make him work all the harder so that he doesn't crush things whenever he handles them."

"It is pretty encouraging to know that I am not the only one that had problems with my strength at least at first," Misha spoke up his accent still quite thick although his English had improved a lot. "It is very discouraging to know that I don't even have control of my own body at the moment. I did grow up on a farm so I have used an axe before and I should know the right amount of strength to use in order to chop through a log intended for the fireplace."

"All right, fine," Melissa said with a sigh of reluctance as she rolled her eyes. "I guess I give you permission to tell him all about how I was as a newborn then if it helps him get control of his own strength."

"Thanks," Jasper said sincerely even through he didn't really need Melissa's permission.

"You're welcome," Melissa said as she watched Misha and Jasper get back to the lesson at hand.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

"Jasper, can I talk to you about something?" asked Melissa several weeks later.

"Of course," Jasper agreed, "and if we don't want anybody to overhear what we say we may we want to go to my study."

"That's a good idea," Melissa agreed.

"So what did you want to talk about?" asked Jasper as soon as they had settled in the study, which had been decorated with a couch off to one side as well as the desk and a couple of chairs as well as towering bookcases that had very old hardback books in them for the most part.

Jasper saw no reason to sit behind the desk as this was just to talk between father and daughter, so to speak and not official business.

"Well, I was wondering if you were going to test Misha about the fact that he can speak other languages or not. The only way I can figure that he can speak English now is that it is some kind of vampire talent."

"I have never heard of any vampire being able to speak different languages naturally without learning them first," Jasper said. "That doesn't mean however, that it isn't possible and yes, I was planning to test him, but not until after his newborn year as he has enough to concentrate on right now with controlling his strength getting used to his other abilities and the fact that he now has to drink blood."

"He hasn't had a crisis of conscience so far about the fact that he is drinking human blood," Melissa told Jasper. "Of course as you know Russians are naturally a very bloodthirsty and tough race and he might not have the problems that we Americans would have about killing another human as Russians are a lot like their very hard and violent land. I'm not saying they're without conscience, but they are not going to lose any sleep over having to kill if it is necessary," Melissa said.

"You're right," Jasper said contemplating his daughter's words for a moment. Melissa was right in the fact that Russians had a different view about killing than many Americans, Swiss, or Swedish did and there were other countries like that as well, like Egypt for example. "So that probably won't be a problem, but other things will be."

"Like what?" asked Melissa.

"Like getting him to accept the Whitlock crest without wanting to pay me back for it and also we don't know his birthday so his can't have his birthstones unless he remembers when it is and I don't believe Russians celebrate such things."

"They do have name days," Melissa pointed out logically.

"This is true but that is totally different from a birthday and is not celebrated on the day of their births every year like we do here in America and a lot of Russians don't celebrate even that."

"What it help if I told you I happen to know that he was born in November?" asked Melissa a little mischievously.

"It would help a great deal," Jasper said raising an eyebrow at his daughter asking a silent question.

"I asked him," Melissa admitted to Jasper's silent question. "I knew you would want to put his birthstone on the ring you are going to have made for him and so I asked what month he was born in and he thought it was November although he was not absolutely sure as he had never paid attention to such things when he was human."

"Let's see, November's birthstone is topaz and citrine," Jasper said. "Not the most valuable gem but then you can't help the month you were born."

"I believe that Misha will appreciate something that isn't so expensive," Melissa told him. "He has not yet been around long enough to appreciate expensive things and he would insist on paying you back if it was too much no matter what, that much I know. He will not take what he considers charity, but I think I can convince him to take the Whitlock crest if only because we all got them when we joined your family." Melissa shrugged as if to say that she couldn't really help Misha's attitude as it was the way he had grown up and Russians were a very proud race.

Jasper sighed and ran a hand through his hair in a very humanlike gesture. Russians were so different from a lot of the rest of the world. I'm going to have to watch my step with him as are all of you so that we don't offend him to deeply, at least until he is past his newborn stage, so even if he gets angry he won't be able to rip off a limb.

"Actually, Misha appears to have a pretty good sense of humor," Melissa told Jasper, "but you are also right that we need to watch what we say as what wouldn't offend the rest of us might offend him. I'm sure though that once we explain the difference between Russians and Americans and that we didn't mean to offend him he will forgive us. He really is pretty easygoing under that Russian exterior and I believe you'll forgive a lot easier than a lot of Russians and that might be because he's only half."

"Well have to make sure that we don't smile at him and unless it is sincere. A lot of people in the world smile just to be polite but I know that Russians don't," Jasper said with a sigh.

"That's true," Melissa agreed. "Russians don't smile unless they're happy or laughing or something like that and they definitely don't smile just to be polite like Americans or when they are sad and unhappy. If you want my opinion I think you need to go ahead and test him on that language thing so he's not going to worry about it until you tell him whether or not it is just his talent as a vampire or not and that way will be one worry off his shoulders," Melissa said abruptly changing the subject. "He's been worried about it ever since he woke up and found out that he could speak English and if you wanted to get those tests maybe you could get him to quit worrying as it is distracting him."

"I have noticed that something was bothering him," Jasper commented. "Not because of his facial expressions as he does tend to look rather stony, but because of his emotions, which are harder to conceal especially around an empath. I had no idea that his ability to speak English was bothering him."

"You know very well just because his expression is stony does not mean that he's in a bad mood as you know Russians don't smile unless they are really happy or excited about something, but yes, he has been worried about that even though he didn't say anything to me. I know it's going to take time before he feels comfortable opening up to me because I'm a woman even if he is my mate. I believe he feels that it isn't proper to talk to a woman about whatever is bothering him and that it will take time to get used the idea that women can be just as strong as men. In the meantime maybe you can become his confidant so that he is in worrying about things since you are the only other man in the house," Melissa suggested.

"That's not a bad idea," Jasper mused looking thoughtful. "I will have to approach him I think because I don't think he'll approach me at least not until he's been part of this family for a few years and it might even take longer than that before he feels comfortable coming to anybody even another man with his problems."

"Thanks, Jasper," Melissa told him giving him a kiss on the cheek before getting up and heading towards the door.

"I will go ahead and do some of those test that I want to try," Jasper told her before she exited the room.

"Good," Melissa replied.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

"Misha, could I see you in my study, please," Jasper said as he came into the den where Misha was sitting with Melissa neither of them needing to say a word in order to understand each other.

"Of course," Misha agreed, getting up and heading towards Jasper study after giving Melissa a brief kiss on the cheek, which was the only gesture of affection he allowed himself with an observer.

He'll learn, Jasper thought with amusement, or more likely Melissa will teach him until he thinks that a little peck on the lips is as normal as can be.

"What is it that you wanted to see me for?" asked Misha trying to conceal his curiosity although he knew he probably didn't succeed because of Jasper's talent. He had been told that concealing emotions was a lot harder and that it was almost impossible to lie to an empath.

"I wanted to run some tests," Jasper said, "and see if your speaking English is just your vampire talent developing early or if it's something else entirely."

"What these be test involved?" Misha asked a little apprehensively.

"Just that I'm going to speak to you in several different languages and I want you to translate for me and if you can't then I'll tell you what I said," Jasper explained.

Misha relaxed at that. "Alright, I'm willing to give it a try."

"Good," Jasper approved smiling at his new son in pride and approval causing Misha to flush as he knew that Jasper never smiled at him just to be polite like a lot of other people who traveled to Russia did. Of course Jasper and his family had lived in Russia for seven years and so they knew a lot of the mannerisms of the Russian people, but still Misha knew that Jasper was genuinely proud of him and his approval meant a great deal as he had come to respect Jasper a lot.

"Let's begin, shall we?" ask Jasper, which was his way of asking Misha if he was ready to get stated.

Misha nodded saying he was ready to begin and Jasper wasted no time asking him in Spanish, "Buenos días. ¿Cómo, hace usted hoy?

Misha cocked his head and then said, "Unless I am mistaken you said: "Good morning. How, do you do today? Is that anywhere near right?"

"That's completely right, word for word," Jasper told him his astonishment plain as he really hadn't expected this experiment to get anywhere even though Misha had started to speak English from the moment he had woken up as a vampire.

"What language was that?" asked Misha.

"Spanish," Jasper replied. "I figured it would be easy to start with as it is Latin-based just like English."

"But I grew up speaking a non-Latin-based language," Misha said who knew this to be true as he had seen both Russian writing and English and apparently it was a totally different alphabet, because they looked completely different.

"That's true but the only other languages I speak that are not not Latin-based is Japanese and Chinese and they're even more different then Russian or any Latin-based language as it is a totally different alphabet from either. So are you ready to continue?" asked Jasper.

"Yes," Misha said wondering where he had gotten his new ability from. Could he have just guessed what Jasper was saying and not really known?

"Buenas tardes, Misha. ¿Ha tenido usted un día agradable?"

Misha didn't say anything for a minute and then said hesitatingly, "Did you say: Good afternoon, Misha. Have you had an agreeable day?"

"That's correct," Jasper said. "We'll try a few more Spanish phrases and then move onto another language like French. If you can get these phrases you can probably speak the language without having to actually learn it the hard way like the rest of us do. You will improve the more somebody speaks it to you regularly so before long you will speak it as naturally as Russian. It will be a if you were bilingual from the very first word, like a baby learns. Vampires learn a lot easier than human would because of our eidetic memories and also our very advanced hearing because we can pick up subtleties that most humans would miss. Also you will not have to go to the trouble of listening to language CDs or reading a language dictionary, which is what the rest of us have to do in order to learn the language. Although hearing a native speak it regularly helps us with our accent and pronunciation of the words."

"This is so strange," Misha said not looking all happy with his ability. "I was never able to speak more than Russian and maybe a few words of English before and now I can speak both English and Spanish and who knows what else?"

"Don't be upset, Misha," Jasper told his son sympathetically. "This is a great gift if you think about it. Not only will you be able to go around other humans much faster than if you just spoke Russian you'll also never be lost or have people speak to you in a language you don't understand anywhere you go. Just think about it no one will be to lie to you if you can speak their language and they don't know it, nobody can plot to try to get rid of you for whatever reason as you will always be able to understand what they're saying so that you can get out of dangerous situations before they even form."

Misha thought about it and then nodded in agreement as Jasper was right and he knew that.

"Also this will not cut into your time with Melissa like it would if he had to do it the old-fashioned way."

Misha brightened at that and gave Jasper genuine smile because it really made him happy to be around Melissa as much as possible even though he knew that part of that was the bond, but the other part was that they just belonged together as they fit together so well.

"That makes you happy, I see," said Jasper trying not to smile as Misha wouldn't understand why he was.

"Very," Misha agreed still smiling happily.

"Anyway let's continue alright?" asked Jasper.

"Continue," Misha agreed politely.

Jasper almost smiled as Misha sounded almost like a king ordering his subject, but managed to contain himself as he was sure that his son wouldn't understand why he was laughing and he didn't want to offend him. "De nada."

"You're welcome?" Misha said, but that was really more of a question.

Jasper nodded confirming that was right. "We will need to walk on your accent and that means your Spanish accent not your Russian accent. I'm afraid you're Russian accent is rather thick even though you probably don't notice it since it is what you have spoken all your life, but once you get around other humans they will immediately notice how thick your accent is and might ask you to repeat something as human hearing is not as acute as a vampire's."

"You have an accent to," Misha said, "Or at least to me you do."

"I do when I want to, but I can get rid of my accent anytime I want, but that comes with years or decades of experience and when you get as old as I am or probably sooner you will be able to drop your Russian accent as well if you want. I am originally from Texas and therefore the way I speak is with a southern accent, but only if I want to as I can get rid of most of my accent at will if required depending on the situation."

Misha absorbed this and nodded indicating for Jasper to continue so he did.

"¿Cómo te llamas?" asked Jasper.

"What is your name?" said Misha growing more confident in his ability that he was actually translating what Jasper was saying and in his head even though he had never learned the language as a human.

Jasper nodded and said, "¿Que hora es?"

"What time is it?"

"¿Podria repetir, por favor?"

"Please repeat that," Misha responded.

"Mucho gusto?" asked Jasper.

"Nice to meet you."

"Te amo?"

"I love you."

"No entiendo?"

I don't understand.

"Estoy alegre?"

I am happy.

"¿Cuánto es?"

"How much does it cost?" Misha translated confidently.

"That's good, Misha," Jasper told him. "I think we can safely say that you can speak Spanish with little trouble. Are you ready to switch to another language or would you like a break?"

"I am ready to continue, s...Jasper," Misha said starting to say sir and at Jasper's stern look switched. "You say we are going to try French next?"

"Yes I did. We will be at this a long time as I know a lot of languages and so does Melissa and Bella and between us we could keep you translating for at least a couple of weeks unless we do it all day every day and you need to spend time with Melissa because of the mate bond. You will start to long to see her if you are away from her for too long and this will be especially true until the bond is at least 10 years old as it will slowly deepen and mature so that you can be apart for a couple of days without feeling like you will go insane if you do not see her or touch her just to make sure she is alright. You will miss her of course just as she will miss you when you are away from each other, but it will be bearable although you can't be more than 500 or 600 miles apart ever because of the bond as that is the limit in distance that you can get from each other or you are asking for more pain than you can imagine."

"Why?" asked Misha curiously.

"It's just the way that mated couples are because of the bond. They just can't stand being too far from each other. I think it has to do with the fact that they are one soul in two bodies, you know soulmates," Jasper said. "No one has ever figured out why that it is, but probably because the mate bond is so rare among vampire kind as I only know maybe 10 other couples that are actually mated. Ready to start trying to translate French?"

"Yes," Misha said as he prepared himself to try to understand yet another language.

Jasper nodded and began, "Bonjour. Comment sont, vous aujourd'hui?"

"Good morning. How are, you today?" asked Misha a little uncertainly.

"That is completely correct," Jasper assured him. "Ayez bonsoir, monsieur?"

"Have good night, mister?" asked Misha.

Jasper nodded and continued, "Bonne nuit."

"Good night," Misha translated a little bit more confidently.

"Passez une bonne journée au travail?"

"Have a good day at work?"

"Êtes-vous heureux?"

"Are you happy?"

"Voulez-vous le citron ou le lait avec votre thé?"

"Do you want the lemon or the milk with your tea?"

"Vous tiens, un dessert avec votre repas?"

"Would you like dessert with your meal?"

"That is excellent, Misha," Jasper told him quite sincerely. "Apparently your talent is to just know the languages of whoever you encounter and that is quite a useful talent to have."

"But we have only tried Spanish, and French," Misha protested.

"I have no doubt that you'll be over to speak any language without having to study," Jasper told him. "We'll try out out several other languages, but not today as you need to spend some time with Melissa. Mates need to spend a lot of time together, especially while the bond is new."

"I do miss her," Misha realized that he had been so busy translating a foreign tongue into English and he had not noticed how much he wanted to see Melissa until now.

"As it should be," Jasper told him. "I missed Bella every time we were apart for more than a few hours and still do although it's not as bad now that the bond is almost 10 years old. You will always miss Melissa when you two are not together for whatever reason and until the bond has the chance to mature you will miss her more and practically be ready to spit fire until you are in her presence again. After 10 years or so that will lessen although you will always miss each other when you aren't together. Now suggest you to go spend some time together before Melissa has my head for keeping you away from her for so long as I'm sure she's just about ready to spit fire to as she misses you just as much as you do her."

Misha nodded and was out the door in a flash as he really did miss Melissa more than he had ever thought it possible to miss anyone.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

"How did it go?" asked Bella as soon as Jasper emerged from his study and exited the house to find Bella sitting underneath their favorite tree in the shade reading her favorite book, which was Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë. It had always been one of Bella's favorite since she was about 11 or 12 anyway and that had not changed when she was transformed into a vampire.

"It's really strange," Jasper said shaking his head as he sat down beside her.

Bella put her book down after putting the bookmark on her page and Jasper put his on around her shoulders.

"In what way is it strange?" asked Bella.

"I tested Misha out on both Spanish and French and he got every single phrase right a hundred percent every time," Jasper said. "There is no way he could've known what I was saying unless he actually translated because I just threw random phrases at him not one following any kind of logical pattern."

"So in other words he couldn't just guess," Bella said.

"Precisely," Jasper agreed. "Besides I kept checking his emotions and he really wasn't sure if he was translating right until I told him he was, and you know it is nearly impossible to lie to an empath."

"Misha, wouldn't do that," Bella protested. "He's way to honorable to lie."

"You're right," Jasper agreed, "it's just a matter of habit to check someone's emotions to make sure I'm not being lied to as some people both humans and vampire know how to control their body language so you can't tell that way."

"So you have never heard of a vampire that has a talent even similar to Misha's?" asked Bella.

"No, I never have," Jasper said shaking his head again. "Vampire have a lot of strange talents, but that is not one of them as far as I know anyway. Talents also tend to repeat although they also work in slightly different ways if they do."

"So maybe the reason you never heard of it is that no vampire has this talent. A lot of people haven't been turned into vampires you know and who knows if one of them would have something similar."

"We'll it's certainly damn useful," Jasper said. "He will never have to listen to language CDs in order to learn a language if it extends to all languages and not just a few. Between you, me and Melissa all of us speak about 19 or 20 languages at least if not more."

"26," Bella corrected having counted up the number in her head.

"26 then," Jasper said amused that Bella was being so precise.

"Between the 15 you speak, the six I speak and the five Melissa speaks that's 26 altogether and that doesn't include the languages that all three of us speak like Spanish and French."

"And you didn't believe me at the time when I told you that learning languages for vampire would be relatively easy then it would be if you were human," Jasper told his mate with an amused smile.

"It wasn't that I didn't believe you it just didn't seem possible that's all," Bella said with a shrug sticking her tongue out at Jasper.

"I could pull out your tongue you know," Jasper said teasing her.

"If you do that I won't be able to use my tongue to lick your cock or your chest or anywhere else," Bella said. "And you have never been one to deny yourself any pleasure."

"When it comes to you, no I am not," Jasper admitted not at all reluctantly. "Don't worry I like your tongue just where it is."

"You mean you like what it can do to you," Bella teased him.

"That too," Jasper said agreeably without the slightest hint of shame.

"So getting back to the subject of Misha, do you think he'll be able to speak all the other languages we know?"

"I do," Jasper said. "I gave him enough French and Spanish phrases that if he can speak those he should have no trouble with the others either. Another test would be to take him somewhere that speaks a language that we don't know like Arabic or Finnish and see if he can understand what they're saying since none of us understand those particular languages."

"Maybe we can do that sometime in the near future I wouldn't mind seeing Finland," Bella commented. "I know I've only been a vampire 10 years but I've hardly been anywhere yet. We still have a lot of the world left to explore."

"Maybe by the time Misha's a couple years so we can do that," Jasper said his eyes gleaming at the thought of going somewhere he had never been before. He had always loved to explore and he hadn't seen but a quarter of the world yet if that. He had been to France, several times, Holland, several times Spain, Russia, Italy although he had stayed away from Volterra until recently, and several other countries, but just because he had been to those countries did not mean that he didn't want to go back because he had not seen every single city or every single thing that he wanted to see in the countries in question, but he had centuries and wish to do that.

"Now, my mate I have better things bus to do and talk about our son," said Jasper.

"Like what?" asked Bella with a certain gleam in her eyes knowing precisely what Jasper had in mind as she knew him very well.

"You and me just staying out here and making love in the tall grass were nobody will see us and would actually have to come looking for us in order to find us," Jasper told and then started describing exactly what he wanted to do to her.

"Well, do it!" Bella ordered him getting out of her clothes at vampire speed without ripping them and laying down in the tall grass waiting for Jasper to do her what he had just described. "Here I am already buck naked ready and waiting for you to do what you just described to me."

"And it will be a pleasure I assure you," said Jasper as he to was now naked laid himself down on top of his mate and began to do exactly what he had just described to her, starting at her delicate feet and working his way up slowly torturing her.

It was quite a long time later that Bella and Jasper climaxed almost at the same time Bella with a muffled scream as Jasper had his mouth over hers.

"That was spectacular," said Bella lazily as soon as she was sure she could actually speak. "Of course, it is always awesome, but we both just seem to be getting better and better at making love."

"Part of that is the bond as if not mostly mature and I know from Carlisle that it will continue to deepen the longer we are together. The other part though is that we get a lot of practice so of course we have improved from when we first started out. We probably would have improved even more by now if not for Melissa we would have spent even more time in bed then we have in the last 10 years."

"You do have a point, but I wouldn't change a thing," Bella assured him, "and neither would you and you know it as you love Melissa like a daughter and now Misha like a son."

"Very true," Jasper conceded with a smile at his mate.

"Besides I think the way we have sex now is already pretty spectacular as I said earlier and we both certainly last longer before we climax then when we first started making loved almost ten years ago or at least I do."

"I do as well," Jasper assured as he started to kiss her all over her gorgeous, sexy body again and it wasn't long at all this time before both climaxed so hard that they lay there panting afterwards.

Once they had both caught their breaths they both lay there for a while unable to move but decided maybe it was a good idea if they got dressed and got back to the house before Melissa and Misha started to worry that is if they hadn't heard them as they hadn't exactly been quiet on the other hand they hadn't dared go to far from the house in case they were needed.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

Life went on in an endless stream as Misha got used to his new abilities and it seemed like it passed at the speed of light as days turned into weeks and the weeks into months until finally Misha's newborn year was almost over within what seemed a blink of an eye.

When Misha was 11 months old vampire wise Jasper decided that it was time to take him into Toronto so that it could be seen as to whether or not he could control himself around humans. Jasper assured Misha that eventually he would get the hang of being around a lot of humans at the same time as all them had although Misha was incredibly nervous as he didn't want to drain someone innocent like a woman or a child. Even though it had been pointed out to him on numerous occasions that not all women were innocent Misha still didn't want to drain one and so the others had given up as there was nothing wrong with wanting to drain just men if that was Misha's choice. Besides none of them were likely to break him of the habit as it was apparently a trait that had been deeply ingrained into his psyche when he was human and such traits were impossible to change once turned, so why bother?

Just as they were getting ready to head toward Toronto all four vampires heard voices in the woods that were coming closer slowly.

"Who do you think it is?" asked Bella as she came to stand by Jasper. "Hikers?"

"It could be poachers," Melissa pointed out.

Misha remained silent, but he was glued to Melissa's side as if determined to protect her, although she was very capable of protecting herself, which Misha had yet to learn as he had not seen her in an actual fight.

"We are not to attack them at least until we see who they are. They might be hikers who are just lost," Jasper ordered. "If they are poachers though then we will drain them and then bury their bones where we did all the other humans you fed off of. Misha hold your breath if you have to so that you don't attack them."

The other three vampires nodded knowing to follow Jasper's instructions to the letter as he tended to be very good at these types of situations and with good reason.

All four vampires listened to the man talking and grew enraged at what they heard.

"When we get to this house I know about that looks as if it is falling down we'll set up camp there," one of the man said who appeared to be leader.

"And if somebody has moved into it and fixed it up?" asked another of the men.

"Then we'll simply kill them and bury their bodies somewhere that no one will ever find them," came another voice this time female giving a harsh cruel laugh.

"I doubt that anybody has moved into that old mausoleum as it looks like it's been abandoned for at least 40 or 50 years if not more. It's still pretty well-maintained considering," said another male voice, which brought the total humans approaching, whoever they were, up to four. "I doubt anybody lives there. Why somebody would want to build a house out in the middle of nowhere I have no idea and it isn't so much a house as a mansion at it has several wings."

"They like their privacy?" suggested the leader with a snicker.

"I suppose that's possible," the fourth voice admitted. "They must not have really liked to be bothered to build that house all the way out here though."

"How many heartbeats can you pick up?" asked Jasper his family.

"I picked up five so far," Bella answered immediately and Melissa and Misha nodded agreement.

"We haven't actually heard the fifth voice though," Jasper said, "even though that's how many heartbeats we all have picked."

"Dad, mom this is not a good idea," came a much younger voice of someone who was probably at least 15 or 16.

"You shut up," the female voice ordered. "We only brought you along because your aunt was in the hospital otherwise we would have left you with her."

"Why didn't you just leave by myself? I'm not a baby anymore, you know."

"And have you run off to tell the authorities what we are doing?" asked the first man's voice. "Not in this lifetime, you little bastard."

All four vampires heard a slap of a hand across flesh that made all four vampires growl even more fiercely then before.

"We cannot harm that kid," Misha said fiercely looking ready to go tear the four adults limb from limb instead of draining them whether or not the kid saw them.

"We won't," Jasper said calmly sending those emotions to Misha so he wouldn't do anything rash. "What we are going to do is that I am going to go knock that kid unconscious using my talent and then drag him out of the way. Before the other's even notice that he is missing we'll drain them dry."

Misha calmed down considerably at that and without the help of Jasper's talent this time.

"Don't worry Misha I would never harm a child and he can't be more than 15 or 16 at most or he'd be old enough to get away from his parents legally. The rest of you stay here and let me go get that kid out of the danger zone and we'll keep him asleep until we have gotten rid of those four poachers or whatever they are. I don't particularly care what they are actually considering they threatened to kill whoever lived in this house not to mention threatening the kid," Jasper said and then was gone in a flash.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

When Jasper came back it was only two or three minutes later and the four humans were just approaching the clearing where house stood.

"We each get one so pick your target and just concentrate on that target," Jasper said.

"I'll take the woman," Melissa decided. "I hate bullies and if she's not a bully I don't know who is."

"I don't care who I feed off so long as it is a male," Misha put in his two cents worth his accent very thick.

"I guess that leaves us the other two," Jasper commented.

"It doesn't really matter to me as I'm not particularly picky," Bella said, "so long as I get my share I'm happy."

Just as the four vampires decided who they were going to feed off of the humans walked into the clearing.

"Who the hell are you?" asked the woman rudely.

"We are the owners of this house and we were wondering if you needed directions or something as we heard you come through the forest," Jasper said politely his red eyes hidden behind a pair of expensive sunglasses. "This is my wife, Bella, my sister Melissa and my brother Michel," Jasper introduced politely not letting to the fact he and the other had overheard their conversation.

"What you can do is die," the leader of the name said he as he pulled a gun from the back waistband of his jeans. "We need your house and we can't have anybody going to the authorities…"

That was as far as he got before the four vampires were on the poachers in less then a second.

All four vampires, except Misha who was too new to the vampire life drained their humans of only most of their blood before using their fingernails like claws and made it look like a bear attack leaving long slash wounds that were slightly oozing.

"Now as much as I hate to do this to a teenager we need him to identify them," Jasper said as soon as the humans were dead. Melissa, Bella, Jasper, had drained there kills enough that they were dead before leaving the slash wounds, but not enough so that some blood wouldn't be dripping from them.

"I'll get him," Bella said, "if you show me where you left him. I'll just pretend I was wandering in the forest picking flowers or mushrooms or something."

"How are we going to explain that he fell asleep?"asked Melissa.

"We'll just say he got knocked out by a low tree limb," Jasper said.

"I don't know that that story's going to wash," Melissa said. "When you get hit by a tree limb you end up with a monster headache."

"Already taken care of," Jasper assured her. "I thought of that before I put him out. I hit him with a tree limb in the back of the head not hard enough to kill him just hard enough to knock them unconscious. As much as I hated to do that I knew it had to be done if we wanted to have a believable story."

"I stand corrected," Melissa said shaking her head. "I should have known better."

"Yes you should have," Jasper smirked with a wink. "I was a strategist after all in the Civil War and my skills have only sharpened since."

"You ready to go Bella?" asked Jasper as her turned towards his wife he had just come out of the house after putting in her contacts, which made her eyes look kind of a murky brown and with a basket on one arm.

Jasper instantly missed Bella's red eyes, but knew that the contacts were necessary if she was going to go around a human boy as he couldn't see her eyes if they wanted him to live.

"Ready, we'll see you when we get back," Bella answered and she and Jasper disappeared into the forest.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

"That's them all right," the boy whose name was Ethan said not looking it all upset as he saw the four corpses two who were his parents. Ethan was a handsome boy with red hair slightly long and shaggy and startling pale blue eyes. He was a little younger than Jasper had suspected when he'd said he thought that he was at least 16 as he looked no more then 13, but was possibly at least 14.

It hadn't taken long at all for Bella and Jasper to supposedly discover the boy up against a tree with a hell of a headache from being knocked out by a low hanging tree limb.

"I'm sorry we couldn't save your parents," Jasper told the boy sympathetically.

"It doesn't matter," the boys said rubbing his hand across his eyes in order to prevent his tears falling. "I hated them. I wanted to live with my aunt, but there was no way that they would've allowed that and social services never saw how they were abusing me even though several people called in a couple of times. My parents were always very loving towards me when social services came to call."

Ethan didn't have to say that after social services had left his parents had gone back to the way had they had always been except worse than before.

"We'll take you to your aunt's," Jasper said, "and give your parents a decent burial."

"But what about calling the police?" asked Ethan. "Doesn't a coroner need to examine the bodies?"

Jasper's voice became low and he started using his powers to put Ethan to sleep and said, "You will tell the authorities that the bodies were torn to shreds and therefore not identifiable except for the head of your father, which was still intact. You will tell them that a tree limb hit you in the head and knocked you unconscious and that by the time you woke up your parents and their friends were torn apart. You will tell them that you were rescued by this man that you do not know the name of and that he brought you into town when he found out that your aunt lived in Toronto."

Jasper kept his voice low and soothing, almost hypnotic as he continued to use his empathic powers to put Ethan half to sleep he finished describing exactly what he wanted the boy to tell the authorities as well as his aunt.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

When Ethan woke with a start he found he was laying down in a bed with a blond haired man standing over him in the shadows, "Are you okay, son?"

"Who are you? Where am I?" asked Ethan thinking that the blond man looked familiar but then shook it off figuring it was just his imagination.

"Remember my wife and I found you in the forest? You had been knocked out by a tree limb. You lost consciousness when you discovered that your mother and father had been murdered, do you remember?"

"Torn apart by a bear?" asked Ethan as he remembered vaguely seeing the head of his father while the others were unidentifiable.

"Yes, I'm sorry about your parents," Jasper said. "Don't worry about the bear I killed it, for once the bear gets a taste for human flesh, well, let's just say that's not a good thing."

Ethan shuddered as he could very well imagine what would happen once a bear got a taste for human flesh.

"You really were very lucky for if you hadn't been knocked out, you might have been killed by that bear to and you appear to have escape incredibly lightly with just a bump on the back of the head the size of a goose egg," Jasper said as he continued to use his talent on Ethan as well keeping his voice low and hypnotic so that Ethan who was still half dazed wouldn't fully wake up until he was safely with his aunt and by then Jasper would be long gone. By the time Ethan had fully recovered from what happened to him, except for the occasional nightmare, it would be at least a couple of days later maybe more and he would only remember Jasper and his wife vaguely and not clearly at all as Jasper had made sure to stay in the shadows as he was talking to Ethan so that he wouldn't have a clear mental picture of what he looked like. In a couple of days or a week at most Ethan's rescue by him and his family would take on a dreamlike, hazy quality and it wouldn't be long before he began to forget details as often happened during horrific traumas and the murder of Ethan's parents was definitely that even if Jasper had planted the story of what had actually happened to them into the boys mind instead of letting him remember what really happened and that was why Jasper had shown them the bodies that were mostly whole with 'claw' marks all over them and their clothes ripped to shreds. This was just better for all concerned as he didn't want to have to be forced to kill the boy in order to protect the secrets of the vampire world since he was only 13 or 14 and therefore just a child. As a rule Jasper never harmed children if it could possibly be avoided and hadn't not since the day he had been forced to kill those children when he was under Maria's control although he had slipped up a time or two also while he was still under her control.

Ethan shuddered again and nodded as he felt the back of his head where there was indeed a bump about the size of an egg on the back of his skull where the tree limb had hit him that was still very sore and tender and would be for a while he was sure.

Ethan knew that the man was right he really had been incredibly lucky to be knocked unconscious or he probably would have suffered the same fate as his parents and their two friends.

"Now that your awake why don't I drop you off in Toronto? Do you have any family?"

"Just my aunt," Ethan answered.

"With your aunt them," Jasper said.

"But what will I tell her about what happened to my parents and their two friends?"

"Just tell them the truth," Jasper instructed him gently. "Tell them you don't remember much, but that you did see your parents bodies torn apart. That's really all you can do."

Ethan nodded thinking it was sound advice.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

"How in the world did you do that?" asked Melissa several hours later after Jasper had dropped Ethan with his aunt at the hospital.

"Oh, you mean hypnotize him into telling that story?" asked Jasper.

"Yes," Melissa said and the other listened as well.

"It really wasn't that difficult, between my empathic ability and a vampire's natural talent to hypnotize their victims," Jasper said. "At least 90% of the humans are susceptible to being hypnotized and Ethan is only 13 or 14 so I thought there was a good chance that hypnotizing him and also putting him half to sleep at the same time would make him forget that he had seen anything except what we wanted him to. According to what I read children are the easiest to hypnotize while some adults can be hypnotized to, but at least 10% are considered hard or impossible to hypnotize."

"He will have nightmares you know that will try to force him to remember what really happened," Bella put in speaking for the first time.

"That's true," Jasper said, "but there's no way to prove there's anything except his overactive imagination trying to make him deal with what happened. What happened will leave its mark true, but eventually he'll probably shove it to the back of his mind."

"You are amazing," Bella told him. "Do you know that?"

"You can all hypnotize you know as it is a vampire trait although you don't have my ability to put them to sleep."

"Still Bella's right. You really are amazing," Melissa told him and Misha nodded in agreement.

"Thanks," said Jasper as he took in their amazement at what he had done trying not to appear embarrassed as he still didn't take sincere compliments well although he was getting better and had quit protesting that he didn't deserve them at least.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

"Misha, I'd like to present you with the Whitlock crest," Jasper said about a month after the poachers had been taken care of as Misha's newborn year was finally at an end and he had gotten control of his strength admirably and gotten used to his other abilities as well.

Jasper retrieved a small blue jewelry box out of his pocket and presented it to his new son. "All the members of my family wear the Whitlock crest," Jasper told him when it looked as if Misha was about to protest. "It'll protect you to a certain extent from other vampires who seek to harm you as I have quite a fearsome reputation among vampire kind because of my role in the Southern Wars and they know that I will come after them if anybody causes harm to my family. Of course it won't protect you from some of our kind either because they don't believe in my reputation or they because they've never heard of me, but it should give at least most vampires pause about bringing harm to you."

"This is too much, Jasper," Misha protested.

"No it's really not I'm sure you seen the one that Melissa wears around her neck. All of us have one," Jasper told him before Misha could protest further. "Sometime you and Melissa will be off on your own traveling to doing whatever and you won't be with the family and this crest should give you a certain amount of protection as I said just a few minutes ago from the worst of our kind. It also tells other vampires that you are part of a coven and not just nomads and so they will not try to get you to join them or if they do they will back off when they discover that you are. Everybody who is part of my family has one as besides being protected from some of the worst of vampire kind it is also my way of accepting you into my coven. I think of you like a son, Misha, just like I think of Melissa as my daughter."

Misha was all broken up when Jasper said that he thought of him like a son for even though he was technically five years older then Jasper who had been changed at 20 and him at 25 Jasper was still almost a 175 and therefore vastly older than him—even if he didn't look it—and with almost 200 years of age came compassion, wisdom and unconditional love, but Jasper also knew that sometimes fighting for what you believed in was absolutely necessary. In a way Jasper was like a Russian as he had absolutely no trouble getting involved in a fight, but in another way he wasn't as he didn't fight just for no reason like a lot of Russians would. Jasper would fight alright to protect those he loved, but not just for the hell of it as he preferred peace to violence. Misha could very well guess the reason he preferred peace was because of all the violence he had seen doing the Southern Wars and yet although his fighting spirit had been bent by the decades of violence and servitude, but not broken.

Jasper had been there when he needed encouragement, when he had had trouble getting used to his strength and his other vampire abilities like his sense of smell. The things he had crushed to rubble when he had been distracted would have made Misha blush in embarrassment if he could have as he recalled how he had destroyed a whole section of the stair railing leading up to the second level because he had not been thinking about what he was doing. Jasper had never once lost his patience or complained when he broke something on accident just quietly encouraged him and fixed whatever was broken without complaint or a word of censure.

When Melissa had had to purchase a new bed over the internet as they had destroyed the one they had been making love in that first time Misha had been determined to get control of his strength as quickly as possible so that that didn't happen again although Melissa had warned him it was going to happen sometimes when they got lost in the heat of passion and hadn't seemed worried about the waste of money as beds were expensive.

"You will find I can be very stubborn," Jasper told Misha, "as Bella and Melissa can tell you. Bella also protested about all the gifts I gave her at least at first until she realized that I was more stubborn than she was."

"Which Melissa thought was hilarious," Bella added as she looked over at her friend. "Melissa believed until then that there was not anyone more stubborn than I was."

"What can I say? At the time she was the most stubborn person I had ever met," Melissa told Misha sticking out her tongue at her friend.

"You might as well go ahead and accept it," Bella told Misha looking at him sympathetically.

"Take it as it is intended as a gift that is freely given with no strings attached," Jasper added. "And also take it knowing that me giving the Whitlock crest to someone is a sacred trust and I do not give it to just anyone but only those whom I trust and that I have taken into my family."

"You mean no one else has the Whitlock crest except the vampires in this room?" asked Misha looking touched and pleased as Jasper know he would when he realized what a rare gift he was receiving.

"Yes just vampires in this room and Peter and Charlotte whom you will eventually meet," said Jasper. "The Whitlock crest is not given out lightly or to just anyone."

Misha finally gave in at that and took the ring out of the box and put it on his left hand as he was saving his right hand for a wedding ring when he and Melissa got married somewhere down the road.

"Thank you, Jasper," Misha said sincerely as he came over and gave Jasper a manly one armed hug. Misha had begun showing more affection to the members of his family over the last few months and all of them were pleased with this development as a they were family that liked to hug each other in order to show affection.

"Let me explain what all the symbols mean," Jasper said as he begin to explain what each of the symbols, the lighthouse, the boar, the wolf and the swords meant.

"And the gemstones?" asked Misha curiously not recognising the orange stones that made up the points of the crest.

"Well Melissa said you told her that your name day was in November and topaz is the birthstone for November, specifically the orange variety," Jasper explained.

"I had no idea there was such a thing as gemstone for each month," Misha said in wonder. "We do not have such things in Russia and we don't really celebrate birthdays come to that, although I know that a large percentage of the world does."

"Well expect to celebrate your birthday from now on," Melissa told him. "We probably won't make a big deal out of it, but you will get gifts from everybody in the family and they expect you to get them gifts on their birthdays as well. It's one of the few traditions we keep as we don't really celebrate any holidays like Christmas or Thanksgiving."

"We do celebrate Valentine's Day," Bella pointed out.

"Well yes, but that's typically individual couples that's not really a family holiday," Melissa said.

"What is Valentine's Day?" asked Misha curiously.

"It is a very minor holiday and in this day and age it is for sweethearts or married couples to get gifts for each other," Bella explained. "For humans a lot time is just a box of chocolates or a card or small gift typically jewelry of some kind. Sometimes if the the couple is seriously and not just causally dating it can also mean dinner out at a fine restaurant with candlelight. Since we can't eat it has turned into something else, entirely and the couple exchanges gifts, which can be anything just so long as it is thoughtful and well thought out with the intention of pleasing the recipient." Bella didn't add that the mated couples also spent all day making love as she was sure Melissa would tell him that part when next Valentine's Day came around in a few months.

"When is this Valentine's Day?" asked Misha looking astonished as he had never heard of this holiday.

"February 14th," Melissa told him.

"I will have to think on this," Misha said as he was unable to do any research since his ability did not extend to the written language. He would have to learn the written language the hard way through study, but on the other hand he knew he had the whole family to help him so it should not take to long to learn.

"We also celebrate anniversaries," Melissa added. "In our case when we do get married we'll celebrate our wedding anniversary, but we can also celebrate our mating anniversary—the day we officially marked each other."

"I have a lot to learn about you Americans," said Misha.

"And you will," Jasper assured him. "There's no need to rush it as you don't need to learn it all this month or even this year as you have centuries to learn all you can. Once you can read and write English you'll be able to do research and learn a lot that way and we will of course, help you all we can so that you fit in better when you can get out among humans."

Misha nodded actually looking forward to the prospect of learning to read and write English even though he had never been the scholarly type, but he felt out of his depth a lot of times as a lot of things Americans said or did made no sense to him and he hated to always be asking questions about everything even though he knew the others didn't mind. He was male after all and he did have his pride to consider.

Misha finally relaxed and put his arm around Melissa's shoulder and she gladly snuggled into his side also relaxing now that the confrontation was over and he had accepted the Whitlock crest without to much argument.

"What about playing a game?" Bella suggested after a few minutes of contented silence.

"Sounds good," Melissa agreed and the two men just went along with it as they didn't really mind and it did bring them closer as a family.

30 years later

Jasper and Bella arrived in New York just a day before an estate sale for one Grace Sandra McPherson who just happened to be Jasper's so many times great-niece from a sister he didn't even remember having that was apparently what was called an oops baby, in other words an accident and the only reason that they knew about it at all is because Jasper had just happened to be reading a New York paper when he had come to the section that listed estate sales. Peter and his rather mysterious talent had struck again as Peter was the one that had sent Jasper the paper saying that he needed to read it although he wasn't sure why just that his talent was nagging at him.

Jasper read the paper at human speed and when he saw a picture he nearly died of shock. The picture was beside one particular estate sale of one Grace Sandra McPherson who looked so much like him it was uncanny. A little bit of research on the Internet was all it took to discover that Grace McPherson was his so many times great-niece and that she had died without any heirs.

Luckily it was taking place in New York that was often times cloudy and rainy so they would be able to go to it and not require hiring agent to look after their interests.

"It's as if fate is looking down on us and wants me to go to this estate sale as it's cloudy and a little rainy," Jasper said looking up in the sky.

"Or it could be just that New York weather is often unpredictable," Bella said dryly.

"You were the one that told me you believed in fate so many years ago," Jasper told his mate with a wink knowing very well that he was being teased. Jasper remembered that long ago conversation before they were married about how Bella believed that it was indeed fate that they met and that Jasper recognized her for what she was—his mate—the one he was supposed to spend eternity with.

"And I do," Bella told him more seriously giving him a very serious kind of kiss that left no doubts as to her intentions, "Ever since that day you walked into my life I have always believed that fate favored me that day and I always will."

Jasper sighed in contentment and rested his against his mate's hair for just a moment having no other place he would rather be. "We had better get going," he said, "If we want to get there in time for the start of the sale."

"You're right," Bella agreed with a sigh of disappointment.

"Don't worry we'll make it up just as soon as the sale is over," Jasper promised with a wink.

"I know this is important. Discovering a sister you never knew that you had as she was born after you went off to the Civil War is very important I know."

"And now we're going to the estate sale to buy some of her things since she never married and therefore never had any children in order to inherit."

"We had better get going," Jasper said finally as he and Bella exited their hotel room.

"It's a good thing that Melissa and Misha are off on one of their many trips so that they won't be to curious and want to come along," said Bella who knew that Jasper had wanted to make this trip with just her and without his daughter or his son. It wasn't that he didn't love them, but this was just something he wanted to do alone with just his mate as you didn't discover you had a sister you never knew about everyday.

It was indeed true that Misha had just to hear a language he could instantly understand without first having to learn it at least so far, which was indeed a boon as he would never have to worry about not understanding a conversation. Unfortunately the same did not hold true for writing it and so he had to learn that the hard way through studying.

Misha had been doing very well as a vampire and Jasper and Bella were both very proud of him and made sure that Misha knew that regularly, which made him bloom under their influence like a flower just opening up it's petals.

~~~Jasper and Bella~~~

Jasper and Bella got to the estate sale with plenty of time to look around and they discovered a Whitlock family bible, and Grace's wedding ring, circa 1920s.

"I will buy that bible and that ring," said Jasper not bothering to open it to the part where the family tree was. "I very much doubt anybody else is going to want the bible unless they belong to the Whitlock family, besides I saw it first."

"Somebody might," Bella pointed out. "You never know what's somebody is going to want."

"True," admitted Jasper. "There's no point in getting that tea service though since we don't drink anything but blood."

The tea service in question was a classic silver teapot, with waste bowl, a coffeepot, a pitcher for milk, a bowl for cream and one for sugar, and a tray for everything to sit on

"Yes somebody else will appreciate it much more than we can," Bella agreed. "Somebody who actually drinks tea or coffee."

Jasper spotted an old-fashioned pocket watch that had sapphires embedded in the cover. He opened the lid and it was engraved Jonas Whitlock – 1935.

"I'm going to buy that pocket watch to as it actually belonged to one of my ancestors since it does say Whitlock."

"This necklace is really pretty," Bella said as she held up a pretty gold necklace .Jasper added the necklace to the stuff he had already collected without comment and the two of them continued looking through the lot that was Grace Whitlock's stuff and found several other things that they wanted to including several out-of-print hardback books.

It was a couple of hours later that they were done so they took the things they wanted to purchase to the agent who had been hired to watch them the customer like hawks to make sure nothing was stolen and to bargain if the customer didn't want to pay full price.

"Anything else you want to look out before we head back to the hotel?" asked Jasper as he looked around and all the stuff that was for sale and not just Grace Whitlock's. This particular estate sale was for half a dozen different estates not just the one.

"No," Bella said as she looked around. "I don't see anything else we really need."

"I didn't say need I said want," Jasper said rolling his eyes.

"Well I don't see anything I really want either," Bella replied with a shrug. "Why don't we get out here and take this stuff back to the hotel? Then maybe we can sightsee for what remains of the day before we head back home."

"All right," Jasper agreed as he carried their purchases towards the car he had rented.

The two of them along with Melissa and Misha were living in Chicago and had been for the last five years. Pretty soon though they would need to move again as they couldn't afford to stay anywhere too long or people would begin to notice that they didn't age even though they didn't interact with the humans very much at all. Actually they could probably stay another 10 or 15 years or so as Chicago was a very big city and most people minded their own business, but Jasper made it a rule to move around fairly frequently before people became suspicious not that that was likely in a place the size of Chicago where there was plenty of food for them and if over a dozen humans disappeared every week or so it wasn't even going to be a blip on the news because of the fact that they were all criminals. They had run into other vampires in the last five years all who were nomads and just moving through Chicago before heading elsewhere. The nomads could have caused a great deal of trouble but when they heard that Jasper Whitlock and his coven were living there they all but fell all over themselves to assure Jasper that they were just moving through and then they didn't want any trouble and so Jasper had let them just move through town so long as they didn't draw attention to themselves from the humans and left his family alone.

"I can't wait to look in that bible," Jasper said as he and Bella approached their rented car. "I never even knew I had a sister since she was born after I had already been turned into a vampire."

"We'll now you'll know at least a little more about your family, thanks to the bible you'll be able to trace your family tree on the internet."

"Yes and that makes me happy as I don't really remember much about my family other then that I had a brother, who I don't even remember the name of."

"I'll be with you every step of the way as you try to trace your family on the internet," Bella promised him.

"I know and I am so grateful to have you by my side," Jasper assured her giving her hand a squeeze. "So where to?" Jasper added as he opened the car door for his wife.

"What about we go see the Empire State building while we're here?" asked Bella getting into the car so that Jasper could close the door. "I've never been and last time we were in New York I wouldn't have dared crowded myself with all those humans into the elevator as I'd have been to afraid I'd bite one of them."

"We'll go just as they open so that it is not too crowded," Jasper replied, "as I'm not too enthusiastic about having all those humans packed in around me like a can of sardines either control or no control. What else do you want to see while we're here?" added Jasper after a few seconds of silence.

Bella thought about it and then told him of several things she would like to do and see while they were in the area and Jasper nodded.

"Your wish is my command my lady," Jasper assured her.

"I know and I love you for it and many other things as well," Bella told him as she leaned over to give him a kiss on the cheek.

"I love you too," Jasper assured her putting an arm around her shoulders as he drove the car with the other one. "Every day has been an adventure since we met, no matter what we are doing. You make my life complete and whole."

"Just as you have made mine," Bella assured him as she gave his hand a squeeze.

The two of them were silent as both of them thought about how happy they had both been in the forty years since they had met totally by accident and thought that indeed fate had had a hand in them meeting and for that both would always be eternally grateful.


End file.
